Aracaju Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a good hard look at Aracaju. I gotta tell ya, it’s a real tough stretch coming up.

To be blunt, the next fortnight is going to be a frustrating one for a surfer. The models are showing nothing but “poor surf conditions” day after day. It’s not that there's no swell, there’s plenty of energy in the water, but it’s all being trashed by onshore and cross-onshore winds. We’re looking at a solid ten to twelve days of choppy, lumpy, messy conditions before we even get a sniff of something remotely rideable.

The water is at a warm 80°, which is just about average for this time of year, so you won't need a thick wetsuit, just a whole lot of patience.

We start from Sunday the 30th of August. Sunday morning has a small 3ft swell from the ESE with a short period of 7 seconds, and it’s already blown out by an onshore breeze. The afternoon gets a bit bigger in energy (201), but the wave height drops to 2ft. It’s a mess. Monday the 31st through to the morning of Sunday the 13th of September is essentially the same story: persistent E to ENE winds, between 12 and 19 mph, just shredding every bit of swell. The swell heights bounce around from 3ft to 6ft, and the energy can get quite significant – like on Wednesday the 2nd morning when the combined energy hits 668 – but with that cross-on wind (and often “fresh cross-onshore and lumpy” on the afternoon of the 2nd), it’s junk.

There’s a tiny glimmer late in the run. On Sunday the 13th of September morning, we finally see a lull in the wind with a light breeze from the NE at just 6 mph. We get a 4ft swell from the SE with a 9-second period. The note says “marginal surf forecast,” scoring it a 1. It’s the only time in the whole window the wind isn’t just ruining it. It won’t be epic, but it’s the only chance to get a clean-ish wave. That swell direction from the SE is a good match for the optimum for Aracaju, and the period is long enough for a little bit of shape.

So, what’s the call? There are no standouts here. Honestly, the only thing worth paddling out for in this whole 16-day window might be that Sunday morning the 13th. It’s the only chink of light. For everything else, you’re better off leaving the board in the car. With that persistent onshore wind and a beach setup, the energy out there might look more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer for most of this period. It’s a long, dry run, but the models might change. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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