Aracaju Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the next 16 days are looking pretty grim for Aracaju. We’ve got a solid run of poor surf conditions stretching from now all the way through to the end of the forecast. It’s one of those periods where it’s best to leave the boards in the car and maybe take the dog for a walk instead.

The first recommendation doesn’t show up until August 20th, and even then it’s a tough sell. The swell is small at 5 ft, coming from the SE with a short, weak period of 8 seconds. The wave energy is moderate (372), but the wind is onshore from the ESE at 12 mph, making everything a bit of a mess. That theme pretty much holds for the rest of the week. We’re looking at swell heights bouncing between 2 ft and 3 ft, with periods mostly around 7-8 seconds, and wave energy dropping off a cliff. The wind is almost always onshore, either from the ESE or E, at 9-12 mph. There’s a brief moment on the 22nd and 23rd where the wind goes cross-on, but it’s still choppy. The water temperature isn’t mentioned, so we’ll just say it’s what you’d expect for this time of year.

The real kicker comes on August 26th. We start seeing a groundswell from the south, with a very long period of 17 seconds, but the swell height is a paltry 2 ft. The wave energy jumps up to 337, but with those tiny waves, it’s all show and no go. The offshore wind is still onshore, so it’s just a frustrating tease. This continues into the 27th and 28th with a longer period swell from the SSE, building to a massive 1082 energy on the afternoon of the 27th, but the swell is only 3 ft. The wind is onshore, keeping it messy. The 28th is similar, with 4 ft swell and 671 energy, but still onshore winds.

The standouts, if you can call them that, are the days with the long-period groundswell. The 27th of August has the most energy (1082), but with a 3 ft swell and onshore wind, it’s going to be a bumpy, closed-out mess. The 28th is a slightly better option with 4 ft and 671 energy, but the wind is still hurting it. For a beginner, the swell is small enough to be safe, but the conditions are just too poor to be fun. Given the onshore wind and beach break setup, it honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The first week of September isn’t any better. From the 1st to the 4th, we’re back to small, short-period swell, onshore winds, and poor surf conditions. The 1st of September has a 5 ft swell from the E, but the wind is cross-on at 12 mph, making it choppy again. That’s a bit too big for a beginner, but the quality is still poor.

Honestly, there’s nothing here that gets the heart pumping. A blank run like this isn’t unusual for the area, but it’s a real bummer. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d plan a repair session or a trip to the river.

- Rusty

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