Barra da Lagoa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s coming up at Barra da Lagoa.

First off, the honest truth: we’re looking at a long, frustrating stretch of flat or near-flat conditions before anything worth paddling out for shows up. The next several days are pretty much a write-off for any decent surf. There’s a big gap of about 12 days from now until the real action kicks in.

From Thursday, July 30th through to about Tuesday, August 11th, it’s mostly poor surf conditions. You’ll see tiny, weak waves – if any at all – with messy, choppy wind and very low energy. The swell is small, short-period stuff, and the wind is often cross or cross-on, making it look more like a lake than a surf break. On Thursday, July 30th morning, there’s a tiny 0.7ft swell from the ESE with a short 8-second period and weak energy (6), but it’s not worth getting wet for. Friday morning slightly better at 1ft, but still messy. The wind is mostly light to moderate, but never truly clean. The water temp is around 66°F, which is about average for this time of year.

The whole first week of August is more of the same. A few tiny pulses of 1ft to 2ft swell will show up, but the energy is weak (mostly under 104), and the wind is often cross or onshore. On Wednesday, August 5th morning, there’s a 2ft SSE swell with a 10-second period and moderate energy (104), with clean cross-offshore wind, but it’s still very ordinary. The afternoon gets glassy with a 2ft SSE swell, but it’s tiny. Not much to get excited about.

Then, a long flat spell hits from Saturday, August 8th right through to Tuesday, August 12th morning. It’s dead calm, with no swell and clean but empty conditions.

Now, here’s the standout. The real payoff comes Wednesday, August 12th morning. A solid 8ft SSE swell rolls in, with a short 8-second period, but the energy is strong (1140). The wind is glassy – light SW at 5 km/h, making it clean. This is a big, powerful swell, so it’s for experienced surfers only. The afternoon sees a drop to 6ft but still with glassy conditions and a slightly longer 10-second period. The water is still around average temp.

The following days, Thursday, August 13th and Friday, August 14th, are the absolute best on offer. On Thursday, it’s a 8ft SE swell with a 9-second period, glassy and calm – zero wind. The energy is strong (846). Friday morning holds 6ft with glassy conditions, but the real gem is Friday afternoon: a 8ft SE swell, glassy calm, with very strong energy (1361). The report says excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers. This is the one to circle on the calendar.

Overall, it’s a long wait for a short, punchy window of quality. Don’t bother with the first 12 days. Point your board at the second week of August, especially from the 12th to the 14th, and you’ll find the cleanest, most powerful swell of the forecast. The direction is SSE to SE, which works well for Barra da Lagoa, and the glassy winds will make it a dream.

Rusty.

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