Barrinha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

We’ve got a bit of a rollercoaster ahead at Barrinha. The next 16 days start quiet, then build into some serious size, but the timing and conditions keep things interesting. Right now, Sunday the 30th is a flat start with tiny 0.7 ft SSE swell – no good for a paddle, just a glassy morning for a swim. The afternoon picks up a little to 4 ft but onshore wind and a short 8-second period make it a write-off. Monday the 31st is where it starts to get real: early glassy conditions with 8 ft of east swell (8-second period) and a combined energy of 652 (moderate). The wind is calm, so the morning session will have some decent, clean lines despite the short period – good for intermediates, but the heavy rain might keep the crowd away. Afternoon turns a bit cross-onshore, so grab it early.

Tuesday, 1 September, is a standout. Morning glass again with clean 6 ft swell from the ESE (8-second period) and combined energy of 448 (moderate). Winds are light offshore from the west, so expect smooth, rippable faces. This is the pick of the first week - solid shoulder-high surf with no crowds to worry about. By afternoon, a risk of thunderstorms and cross-off wind, so the window is the morning.

Barrinha is a fairly exposed beach break that works best with SE swell, and that’s what we’ve got coming. Water temperature is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

From Wednesday the 2nd through the end of the first week, the swell hangs around 5 ft to 7 ft but the wind is moderate and cross-off or cross-on, keeping the quality average to poor. By Friday the 4th, the energy drops right off – only 2 ft to 3 ft with a longer 10-second period but very weak energy (77 to 185). Surfable but ordinary.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting: the second week. From Sunday the 6th of September onward, we see a massive pulse of south swell building. Sunday morning shows 10 ft S swell with a long 11-second period and combined energy of 2474 (strong). The wind is cross-off and clean, but that wave height is too big for Barrinha – this is expert territory only, and even then, the break gets overwhelmed. Sunday afternoon and Monday the 7th push up to 12 ft to 12 ft with periods of 13 and 14 seconds, and energy hitting 3887 and 4467 – very strong. The wind is offshore on Monday morning (WSW 6 mph), making it glassy, but the swell is simply too large (over 8 ft) for this spot. For pros only, and be ready for a beating.

Monday afternoon the swell shifts to SSE with a massive 16-second period and energy of 6008 – extremely strong. That long period groundswell will make Barrinha, a beach break, sectiony and straight – better suited to a point or reef. Tuesday the 8th still has 10 ft to 8 ft with long periods, but cross-onshore wind and chop spoil the fun.

After that, the swell fades through the rest of the week. From Wednesday the 9th to Friday the 11th, it’s back to poor conditions with onshore or cross-onshore wind and only 3 ft to 5 ft – not worth the effort.

Saturday the 12th brings a brief window: heavy rain early but cross-off wind, then a glassy afternoon with 5 ft ESE swell (6-second period) and combined energy of 279 (moderate). This could surprise with clean, if a bit disorganized, waves.

Then Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th – we’re back to oversized swell of 10 ft to 12 ft from the east, with onshore or cross-onshore wind. Again, too big for Barrinha and messy. If you’re a very experienced surfer, the early mornings of the 6th through 8th of September have the best trade-off of clean conditions and power, but you need to be comfortable with serious size.

Summing it up: the best bet for most of us is Tuesday morning the 1st of September – clean, glassy, 6 ft ESE swell with light offshore wind. After that, it’s either too small, too mediocre, or way too big.

Rusty.

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