Barra do Sul Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for your local stretch — looks like we’re in for a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple weeks, but there are some windows if you know when to paddle out.

The water’s sitting at 67°F, which is about 2°F warmer than usual for this time of year — nothing too wild, just a nice little bump that makes the dawn sessions feel a bit more forgiving. Let’s start with what’s on offer.

We’ve got a pretty decent run starting this Saturday, August 15th. Saturday morning at Barra do Sul has some clean 4ft swell rolling in from the ESE with an 8-second period. That’s a short period windswell, so don’t expect a ton of push, but it’s rideable. The wind is a light cross-off at 3 mph, so the surface will be smooth. The combined swell energy is sitting at 267 — moderate energy, enough to keep you interested. Saturday afternoon goes glassy with the same 4ft swell and the wind dropping to nothing, just a puff from the SE at 3 mph. That’s the pick of the weekend if you ask me — clean, glassy conditions make a big difference, and it’s a beginner-friendly spot anyway.

Sunday morning, August 16th, the swell bumps up to 5ft from the E, but the wind swings around to a cross-on from the NNE at 3 mph, so it’s already a bit wonky. Sunday afternoon it degrades further with 6 mph NE cross-onshore winds and small ripples messing up the surface. Not worth it.

Come Monday morning, August 17th, we’re back in action. Another 5ft swell from the E, but this time it’s glassy — 3 mph N wind, dead calm. The combined energy is 276, moderate again, and the wave comment says “expect good surf conditions.” That’s your real standout for the first week. Small but clean, and at this break, that’s the sweet spot.

Tuesday morning, August 18th, gives us a little 4ft swell from the E, glassy again with 3 mph NNW. Clean, surfable, but it’s dropping. Then Wednesday morning, August 19th, the swell drops to 3ft from the E, and the wind goes offshore from the WNW at 3 mph. The energy is down to 136 — weak — but it’s clean. Surfable, but you’ll be working for it.

After that, things go pretty flat and ordinary through the rest of the week and into the next. Thursday August 20th through to Tuesday August 25th is mostly small, choppy, and messy. The swell dips to 2ft to 3ft, winds are cross or onshore, and the energy drops to two-digit numbers. There’s a little blip on Sunday August 23rd with a 2ft swell from the SE at a long 13-second period, but the wind is cross and it’s still poor. Not worth paddling out.

Monday August 24th sees a bigger jump in energy — 3ft from the SE at 16 seconds, giving a combined energy of 420 — strong, but the period is long for a beach break like this, so it’ll be breaking straight in sections and hard to catch a clean line. Plus the wind is a moderate cross-shore at 12 mph from the S, so it’s choppy. Honestly, that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Then we get a bit of a surprise on Saturday morning, August 29th. The swell bumps back up to 4ft from the E with a 7-second period, but the wind is glass — absolutely zero — calm conditions. The energy is 266, moderate. That’s your long-range standout: clean, small, and rideable. Promising, but we’re over a week out, so don’t book your flights yet.

Sunday August 30th morning has 5ft from the SSE at 8 seconds with a combined energy of 559 — that’s strong wave energy, but the wind is a light cross from the NNE at 3 mph, and the wave comment calls it marginal. So maybe a look, but not a lock.

Bottom line: the best windows are Saturday afternoon August 15th and Monday morning August 17th, with a possible glassy return on Saturday August 29th if everything lines up. Crowds at Barra do Sul are listed as “sometimes,” so you might have company on the clean days, but it won’t be a circus.

Rusty.

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