Barrao Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, listen up. Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for the Barrao region. Gotta be straight with you – the next week and a half is a bit of a write-off for any decent paddle. We’ve got a long, dry spell before anything worth getting wet for shows up.

The story starts with a whole lot of nothing. From now through the first week of September, it’s mostly onshore wind, tiny swell, or a mix of both that just makes for poor surf. You’ll see a few spikes in energy, like on Monday the 7th with a 6ft swell from the SSE, but it’s light rain and onshore wind, so it’s a mess. The combined energy is moderate (535), but it’s not going to be clean. We finally get a moment of glass on Tuesday the 8th afternoon with a 3ft easterly swell, but it’s only surfable, nothing special.

Then the real wait begins. From Wednesday the 9th through to Monday the 14th, the wind is mostly offshore or cross-off, but the swell is all over the place – small, messy, or just too weak. The combined energy stays low, often under 300, and the wave comments are all "poor surf conditions."

Now, the one true standout in this whole outlook is a few weeks away. You’ll want to mark your calendar for Tuesday, September 15th. Barrao is a beach and point setup, and it gets a beautiful, clean 7ft swell from the SE on the morning. The period is 13 seconds, solid groundswell, and combined energy is a powerful 1365. This is not for beginners – it’s an excellent session for experienced surfers only. The wind is a light offshore from the NE, keeping it clean. The afternoon stays good too, with a 6ft swell, 12-second period, and moderate offshore wind from the NE. That’s your best bet by a long shot.

The water temperature at Barrao is currently 72°, which is 1° cooler than normal for this time of year – pretty much average, nothing to worry about.

Before that, the only other half-decent window is Wednesday the 9th. The morning brings a 6ft east swell with a 7-second period, but the wind is cross-offshore from the NNE. It’s clean, but the short period means it won’t have much shape. The combined energy is moderate (564). The afternoon is similar with a 5ft swell and offshore wind from the NE.

After that September 15th peak, the swell drops off fast. The rest of the week is clean but small, with strong winds keeping it bumpy for paddling into. It’s a classic case of waiting for the next real pulse.

So, in short: the next ten days are a scratch. The only date worth chasing is September 15th for the big, clean waves. Keep your eyes on the charts.

Rusty.

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