Barrinha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. It’s been a quiet one, but we’ve got a decent run of surf coming up at Barrinha. The water is running a very unusual 60°F – that’s 38°F colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a thick steamer and probably some booties. Don’t let that put you off though, because there’s some real quality on the cards.

We start off Friday morning, July 10th, with some glassy conditions. Swell is a clean 3ft out of the ESE with a long 12-second period, giving it some proper push. The combined energy is moderate at 288. It’s not huge, but with that glassy surface, it’s going to be a fun, clean session. The wind stays light for the afternoon, going cross-off, so the afternoon session holds up nicely too.

Saturday morning, July 11th, sees a bit of a bump in size to 5ft, also from the ESE, but the wind switches to a cross-onshore and it’s a rain shower day. The combined energy jumps up to 689, so there’s some push, but it’s going to be a bit on the messy side. Not the pick of the window.

Now, Sunday the 12th of July is where it gets interesting. Morning brings clear skies and a proper offshore wind, blowing straight out of the SW. The swell is 5ft from the ESE with a 12-second period, and the combined energy is a solid 1108 – that’s strong wave energy. The wind is light and offshore, so those waves are going to be peeling beautifully. This is a standout morning, no doubt about it. The afternoon sees the swell jump to 7ft but it shifts to a short-period S swell and the wind picks up, so the morning is the call.

Monday the 13th is a bit of a mixed bag. The morning has 7ft of S swell, but it’s short period at 8 seconds and cross-off wind. The combined energy is still big at 1004, but that short period makes it a bit lumpy. The afternoon drops to 4ft with the same short period, but it’s clean. It’s surfable, but not the best of the week.

Tuesday the 14th is another standout morning. Some clouds, but it’s dead calm. Glassy. The swell is 7ft out of the SE with a 10-second period, giving it a solid 867 combined energy. That’s a fun, punchy wave, and with absolutely no wind, it’s going to be a dream. The afternoon turns into a choppy mess with strong cross-onshore winds, so get out early.

The rest of that week into the following week is pretty grim. From Wednesday the 15th all the way through to Monday the 20th, it’s a long stretch of poor surf. The wind is either onshore or cross-onshore consistently, and the swell drops to tiny 0.7ft to 1.0ft by the weekend. The combined energy plummets to 13 or 20. That’s a full six days of nothing worth paddling out for.

We finally get a break on Tuesday the 21st of July. The morning is glassy again with a small 4ft S swell, but the period is a short 7 seconds. The combined energy is only 145, so it’s weak. The afternoon sees a jump to 6ft with the same short period, but the wind goes cross-off, so it’s clean. It’s surfable, but that short period means it’s not going to have much shape.

Wednesday the 22nd is a good call for the morning. We get a light offshore wind from the WSW, and the swell is 5ft from the S with a 7-second period. The combined energy is 370. It’s a clean, small wave machine. The afternoon gets a bit more size at 6ft from the SE, but it’s a bit wind affected.

The real standout for the second week is Thursday the 23rd of July. Both the morning and afternoon are looking excellent. The morning has 6ft from the ESE, with a light cross-off wind and a combined energy of 729. The afternoon steps it up to a solid 7ft from the S with an 8-second period, and the combined energy hits 1069. The wind is a light cross-off, and it’s clean. That’s a proper session, and the best of the long-range forecast.
Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th then taper off with smaller, cleaner waves, but still very surfable with glassy or light offshore conditions.

The pick of the whole 16-day window is Sunday the 12th of July, morning session, for the offshore wind and solid energy. The second best is Thursday the 23rd of July, afternoon session, for the size and clean conditions. Keep an eye on crowds – Barrinha is sometimes busy, so get there early for the best of it.

Rusty.

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