Barrinha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. The outlook ahead is a bit of a mixed bag; we’ve got a long stretch of small, weak surf with some decent windows of clean conditions, but nothing that’s going to blow your mind until we get into the second week.

The first real activity shows up on Monday afternoon, 27 July, at Barrinha. It’s not exactly pumping, with a small 2ft swell from the south at a long 12-second period. The combined energy is weak (168). The water temp is sitting at 66°F, which is dead average for this time of year, so no wetsuit drama there. The onshore wind from the east at 3 mph won’t do us any favours, and the conditions are described as poor. Honestly, not a session to write home about.

Tuesday morning, 28 July, sees a bump in size to 5ft, but it’s coming from the north-northeast with a short, weak 6-second period. The wind is a cross-shore from the north-northwest at 6 mph, creating a bit of chop. It’s marginal at best and the energy is moderate (275). I’d sit this one out.

The next few days are pretty flat and ordinary. Wednesday morning, 29 July, brings a glassy morning with a 2ft south swell. The wind is light from the west-southwest (3 mph), and the waves are surfable but very ordinary. The energy is weak (148). Thursday, 30 July, is similar – glassy conditions with a 2ft south swell, but the energy drops to 94 and 93. It’s clean, but you’ll be scratching for waves.

From Friday, 31 July, through to Monday, 3 August, we hit a real dry spell. The swell drops to 0.7ft or 1ft, and the wind is a messy cross-onshore from the north-northeast, gusting up to 16 mph. There’s almost no energy (down to 7). The breaks are clean on the 2nd and 3rd, but with waves that small, it’s more of a paddle than a surf.

We start to see a pulse of energy return on Tuesday, 4 August, with a 3ft to 3ft south swell, but the wind is a choppy cross-onshore from the north-northeast at 9-12 mph. The energy is moderate (229-256), but the conditions are poor. Wednesday, 5 August, is similar, with a 4ft to 4ft swell from the south-southeast, but again, the wind is cross-onshore, making it messy.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The best window of the entire forecast is Sunday morning, 9 August. This is the standout. We’ve got a 5ft swell from the south, but the period is a very short 6 seconds, which is a bit of a bummer. The real winner here is the wind: light offshore from the southwest at 3 mph, creating clean conditions. The combined energy is moderate (211). The water is still average temperature. This is the best session on offer – clean, offshore, and a proper size. It’s suitable for intermediates, but beginners might find the 5ft a bit punchy.

Sunday afternoon, 9 August, pushes up to 6ft from the south with a 7-second period, and the energy jumps to a strong 419. However, the wind swings cross-onshore from the east-southeast, so it’s a marginal call. This one is for experts only, and the wind will make it tricky.

The final week, from Monday, 10 August, onward, sees a bigger swell (6ft to 6ft) but with strong cross-onshore winds from the north-northeast (12-16 mph). The energy is high (425-728), but the conditions are poor and choppy. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So, to wrap it up: the pick of the pack is Sunday morning, 9 August at Barrinha. It’s clean, offshore, and has a decent 5ft swell. Don’t expect much before that. The rest of the window is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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