Barrinha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about what’s coming up for the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got one spot that’s worth talking about: Barrinha. It’s a fairly exposed break, pretty consistent, and it faces south-east. The water temp is about what you’d expect for this time of year, nothing unusual.

The first few days are a bit of a bust. Thursday and Friday morning are small and choppy with a light cross-onshore wind. Not worth getting wet for. Friday afternoon sees a bit of a bump to 2.2m from the SSW, but it’s a short period of 8 seconds, and the wind is a cross-off. It’s clean, but it’s not special.

Now, Saturday morning, the 22nd of August, is where things get interesting. We’ve got a solid 2.4m swell from the south, with a 9-second period, and a gentle cross-offshore breeze. The water is clean, and the combined energy is strong at 1754. This is a proper session for the experienced crew – it’s too big for beginners.

Sunday morning, the 23rd, is even better. The swell drops a touch to 1.9m, but it’s from the south with a longer period of 11 seconds, giving the waves more shape and punch. The wind is a light cross-off, almost glassy. The combined energy is still very strong at 922. This is the pick of the first week for a surfer who wants clean, well-formed waves.

Then Monday the 24th of August, the morning is glassy with a light offshore, but the swell is a massive 3.0m from the south with a very long period of 16 seconds. The combined energy is a staggering 4132. This is a giant. It’s too big for this break, only for the most experienced, and even then, it’s a serious handful. The afternoon turns into an onshore mess, so that morning window is the only chance, and it’s a big one.

The rest of the week into the next is a slow decline. Tuesday and Wednesday are blown out by cross-onshore winds, with the swell dropping and the quality fading. We get a few days of poor surf, with small, choppy waves.

There’s a gap of a few days of poor conditions until the 1st of September. Tuesday morning, the 1st, gives us a late burst: 2.0m from the south, with a short period of 8 seconds, but a gentle offshore wind. It’s clean and surfable, but it’s not the quality of the weekend before. The afternoon has a similar size, but the wind goes cross-off, and it’s still clean. It’s a decent option for the second week, but nothing like the earlier standouts.

After that, it fades out again. Wednesday and Thursday are a mix of rain and onshore winds, with the swell shrinking. The final day, Friday the 4th, is a tiny 2ft with a light offshore, but it’s barely worth a mention.

So, to sum it up: the real standout is the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd of August. Sunday morning, the 23rd, is the absolute best of the lot – clean, solid, and with real power. The Monday morning window is on for the big-wave chargers only. The rest of the period is either too small, too windy, or too big. It’s a classic case of the first week having the goods, and the second week being a bit of a letdown. Keep an eye on the forecasts, though, because it can change.

Rusty.

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