Barrinha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next week or so is a bit of a write-off at Barrinha. The best of the action is tucked away in the second week, but we gotta talk about the wait first.

Right now, we're dealing with a stubborn run of onshore winds – mainly from the NNE – that's just chopping up the swell. Thursday morning (27th August) has a solid 1.7m of swell coming in from the SSE, but that 20 km/h cross-onshore wind is just making a mess of it. The wave energy is high, with a combined total of 1062, but it's not doing us any favours. It’s not even a question of paddle power; the wind is ruining the shape. Conditions stay poor through the end of August and into the first couple of days of September.

We hit a real low on Saturday (29th) and Sunday (30th) – tiny, tiny waves with barely any energy, only 10-35 on that combined scale. It’s flat, mates. Monday is still a no-go with choppy onshores again.

There’s a glimmer on Tuesday the 1st of September – the wind swings cross-offshore from the SSW, and we get a clean 2.1m swell from the south. The energy jumps up (638-741), but the period is a short 7-8 seconds, so it’s a bit of a messy, quick-wave affair. The scores suggest it’s still marginal.

Then Wednesday the 2nd cleans up nicely. The wind is a gentle cross-offshore breeze from the SSW, and we’ve got a clean 1.7m on the morning from the south, with a period of 10 seconds. That’s a proper wave shape. It’s a good, solid, intermediate day.

Now, the real standout is a week and a half away – Thursday, the 3rd of September. This is the one to circle on the calendar. The morning session looks incredible. We’ve got a 2.4m swell from the south with a period of 12 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell, packing some serious power. The combined energy rockets up to 1530, which is strong. And the wind? Glassy. Absolutely glassy with a NNE breeze of just 5 km/h. For those with experience, this is the pick of the forecast. Keep in mind that with that long period, it might be a bit too straight at the beach, but the clean conditions will make it worthwhile. The afternoon goes to crap with onshore wind though, so get it early.

After that, the energy drops off again. The next week from the 4th to the 11th is mostly onshore winds and smaller, messier swells. There’s a bit of a spike on the 11th (Friday) afternoon, with 1.2m from the south and a 12-second period, but the wind is a light cross-onshore from the east, creating tiny ripples. There are some cross-offshore days in between – like the 5th and 6th – but with rain and long-period swells (14 seconds), it’s a roll of the dice for shape. The water temp is sitting at 18°, which is about 0.8° cooler than average for the time of year, so nothing to write home about, just normal.

So, to wrap it up: The wait is long. The first real chance is Wednesday morning (2nd September) for a clean, intermediate session. The absolute standout, though, is the glassy, powerful swell on the morning of Thursday, 3rd September – that’s for the experienced crew.

Rusty out.

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