Barrinha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on offer for the local stretch. We're looking at a bit of a slow start, but there's some promise building in the back half of the outlook.

The good news is that the swell direction is coming from the SE, which is the optimum direction for this spot. The not-so-good news is that for the first several days, the wind is a problem. We've got a persistent cross-onshore breeze from the NNE that's just going to chop up the surface and keep things messy. The water's running at 60°, which is a massive 5° colder than normal for this time of year, so you'll want a thick suit.

We're looking at a gap of poor surf from Friday the 17th right through Tuesday the 21st. The swell is tiny, mostly under 2ft, and with that wind, it's really not worth paddling out unless you just want to get wet.

Things start to show a pulse of life on Tuesday afternoon the 21st. The wind drops to glassy, and we get a 2ft swell from the SSW. It's surfable, but still very ordinary. The real action starts to build on Wednesday the 22nd. The swell jumps to 5ft from the S with a moderate energy level (371), and the wind goes offshore and glassy. This is the first real standout of the period. The break is fairly exposed, so it'll pick up that energy, and with the wind cleaning it right up, expect some clean, fun lines. It's a very consistent break, so there will be waves to be had, but it can get crowded sometimes.

Thursday the 23rd sees the wind swing back cross-onshore, so that clean window is short-lived. The swell sticks around but the quality drops off. Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th are messy again, with light cross-onshore or onshore winds and dropping swell.

Now, the big one. The weekend of the 26th and 27th brings a massive pulse of S swell. We're looking at 5ft to 6ft waves with a very long period of 13 seconds and the combined energy is through the roof, hitting 921 and 1230. This is a serious groundswell. However, the wind is a mess – cross-onshore and choppy on Sunday the 26th. The Monday the 27th looks better with a strong cross-offshore wind from the SW, which will keep the faces clean. This is the second standout. For the more experienced crew, Monday morning the 27th could be excellent. The long period (13 seconds) means the waves will have real power, but at a beach break, those long-period swells can either wall up perfectly or close out. It's a gamble, but when it's good, it'll be very good.

After that, the swell settles again. The 28th of July through the 1st of August looks like smaller, cleaner conditions with glassy mornings and lighter winds, but the size drops to under 3ft. The very end of the run on Thursday the 30th of July is worth a mention. The forecast shows a 8ft S swell coming in with light winds, giving a combined energy of 1212. That's a big number, but it's over a week away, so we'll call it a promising but less certain prospect. At that size, it's for experts only.

The best on offer? I'd keep my eyes on Wednesday the 22nd of July for the first real fun session, and Monday the 27th of July for the more powerful, expert-level waves. Sure, the 30th of July looks huge on paper, but we'll believe that one when we see it.

Stay safe, keep your head on a swivel, and don't be a kook.

Rusty.

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