Barrinha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what’s cooking for the next couple weeks at Barrinha.

The first real window of opportunity is a short one. Tuesday the 25th of August is the standout, and it’s a cracker. We’ve got a solid, well-ordered south groundswell pushing in at 6ft, with a proper 12-second period. The combined energy is strong, around 1100, so there’s plenty of push. What makes it special is the wind: dead glassy out of the north at just 3 mph. That’s going to make for some absolutely clean, lined-up surf at Barrinha. Water temp is sitting at 66°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year. The swell is a little on the bigger side but still in that sweet spot for an intermediate crew. Keep an eye out for crowds, they can be around here.

That Tuesday afternoon, though, the magic fades. The wind swings to a stiff 12 mph cross-onshore, and conditions get messy quick. There is a pulse of bigger swell that arrives on Wednesday the 26th – we’re looking at 8ft SSE swell with a long 14-second period – but it’s just going to be blown out. A solid 16 mph cross-onshore will chop it to bits, and this swell has that long period that tends to close out at a beach setup like this. Not the one.

From Thursday the 27th through to the end of August, it’s a quiet stretch. The swell drops away and the wind stays onshore. We’re looking at small, weak surf with combined energy readings barely cracking 100, and the odd day with cross-off winds but no wave power to back it up. A long, flat run.

We get a little bump of life on the 1st of September, with a 5ft south swell and clean, cross-off winds in the afternoon, but the period is a short 7 seconds, making for a weak, jumbled wave. A couple of small, surfable days follow, but nothing to write home about.

Then, around the 4th and 5th of September, we see another solid swell pulse on the charts – 8ft south swell with a 12-second period and strong energy – but the wind forecast is a real killer. We’re looking at 19 mph onshore winds, making for dangerous, blown-out conditions. The sheer size (over 8ft) and those winds mean this is strictly for experts only, and even then, it looks more like a kitesurfing day than a paddle session.

The very end of the run, on the 7th of September (Monday), we have a small, clean window. A 2ft SSE groundswell with a 13-second period meets glassy conditions in the afternoon. It won't be big, but it'll be clean and lined up, perfect for a longboard or a quiet session.

Best Bet: Without a doubt, it’s Tuesday morning, August 25th. Get on it early before the wind turns. It’s the only true gem in this outlook.

-Rusty

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