Barrinha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this 16-day window starts off pretty flat and frustrating. The first few days are mostly a write-off, with tiny waves and messy wind. But don’t give up hope yet, because the back half of the period has some real potential. We’ve got a couple of standout sessions that are well worth circling on the calendar.

We’re looking at Barrinha, a fairly exposed spot that needs a swell from the SE to really get going. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing weird going on there.

The first bit of surf that’s even worth a mention comes on Tuesday, the 21st of July. It’s not going to blow your mind – waves around 2ft to 2ft from the S, with a period of 9 to 10 seconds. The combined energy is weak (80 to 87). Still, the morning has some clean conditions with a light cross-offshore breeze, and the afternoon goes glassy. It’s surfable, but it’s very ordinary.

After that, we hit another rough patch. Wednesday the 22nd is a mess with onshore wind and choppy conditions. Thursday the 23rd is where things start to get interesting. The morning sees a nice 5ft swell from the SSE, period of 8 seconds, and a clean offshore wind from the SW. Combined energy is moderate (286). The afternoon gets even better – 7ft from the SSE, with clean cross-offshore wind and the energy jumps to strong (1035). That’s a proper session for the more experienced crew. Friday the 24th morning is also good, with a glassy 5ft from the SE and moderate energy (314). But the wind swings onshore in the arvo, so get on it early.

Then we have a bit of a lull through the weekend and into early next week. There’s some surfable swell around 2ft to 3ft, but it’s either choppy or just ordinary. The best of that stretch is Monday the 27th morning – 3ft from the S, period of 13 seconds, combined energy at 369, and clean conditions. Worth a paddle if you’re keen, but it’s not a standout.

The real standout, and I mean the one you want to point your car at, is Thursday the 30th of July morning. It’s a full 8ft of S swell, period of 8 seconds, and the wind is dead calm – glassy as. The combined energy is strong (732). This is going to be a bit hefty for beginners, but for the intermediate and above crowd, this is the pick of the first half with clean, powerful waves. The afternoon gets a bit dicey with a cross-onshore breeze, so stick to the morning.

Now, the absolute best on offer is the first weekend of August. Saturday the 1st of August morning is incredible – 7ft from the S, but the period stretches out to a very long 14 seconds. The energy is very strong (1735) and it’s dead glassy. This is a serious groundswell. It’ll be too big and powerful for beginners, but for experts, this is a dream session. Just keep in mind, with that long period, it might be a bit walled-up at a beach break, but Barrinha handles it. Sunday the 2nd of August morning is almost as good – 6ft from the SSE, a very long period of 15 seconds, and glassy conditions. Combined energy is very strong (1421). Another absolute cracker. The arvos on both days get messy with onshore or cross-onshore wind, so dawn patrol is the go.

So, to sum it up: the first week is mostly a write-off. The real gold is on Thursday the 30th of July morning, and then the back-to-back mornings of Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd of August. Those are the ones to chase.

Rusty.

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