Barra Vento Surf Forecast and Surf Report

The Overview

Alright, folks. Rusty here. Let’s break down the next couple of weeks at Barra Vento. It starts off real slow on Tuesday, July 7, but there are a couple of clean windows to chase if you’re patient.

Tuesday, July 7 & Wednesday, July 8

Tuesday is a right-off. Tiny 2ft eastern swell with a short period, and the wind is either onshore or side-shore. The energy is weak and it’s just flat-out poor. Don’t bother.

Wednesday morning is a bit better. We get a 2ft groundswell from the SSE with a longer 12-second period, and a light cross-offshore breeze cleans it up. The combined swell energy is moderate. It’s surfable, but small. The afternoon turns ugly again.

Thursday, July 9 – The First Highlight

This is the pick of the early run. Thursday morning brings a 3 to 4ft SSE swell with a solid 12-second period and completely glassy conditions – dead calm wind. The water will be like a mirror. The swell energy is a solid moderate 358, and the report says "expect good surf conditions." For a beginner-friendly wave, this is magic. Water temps are about normal for this time of year. If you can, get in the water Thursday morning.

Friday, July 10 through Sunday, July 12

Friday is a write-off. Cross-onshore wind messes up the surface, even though the swell is there.

Saturday, July 11 morning is your other standout. We’re looking at a 4 to 5ft SE groundswell with a long 13-second period, and a clean offshore wind from the NNW at 6 mph. The combined energy hits a strong 649, and it’s rated as "expect very good surf conditions." This will have some proper punch and good shape. The afternoon session is less appealing with side-shore wind.

Sunday morning, July 12, is still clean with offshore wind and a 3 to 4ft SE swell at 12 seconds. Good, fun waves for the learners and longboarders.

Monday, July 14 and Beyond

Monday (July 13) and Tuesday (July 14) mornings look clean but the swell drops to 3ft and then a tiny 2ft. The energy drops, too. You’ll be scratching for waves.

The Second Week (July 15 onward)

The second week gets messy. From July 16 to the 22nd, we see a pulse of short-period, wind-blown swell. Wave heights range from 4 to 5ft, but the period is often short (7-8 seconds), and the wind is consistently side-shore or cross-onshore, sometimes strong (up to 18 mph). The energy numbers are moderate to strong, but the quality is poor or marginal due to the chop and onshore wind. The bigger days (over 5ft) will be too much for beginners anyway, and with the lumpy conditions, it’s a session for the experienced crew only. Honestly, with the wind pattern, this looks like a better setup for kite surfing than paddling in.

Summary

Lock in Thursday morning, July 9 and Saturday morning, July 11. Those are your clean, fun sessions. The rest of the forecast is either too small or too blown out to get really excited about.

Keep your eyes on the horizon.
Rusty

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