Barrinha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty checking in.

Well, folks, I’ve got to be straight with you – we are looking at a pretty bleak run of surf here. The whole 16-day window is a tough one, and there's no hiding it. We kick things off on Thursday the 16th and it’s basically a write-off until the middle of the following week. There’s just nothing on offer for days. The swell is tiny, the wind is all wrong out of the north, and Barrinha is just a lumpy, choppy mess.

The water temp is sitting at a chilly 60°, which is a whopping 6° colder than it should be for this time of year. That’s very unusual, so bring the thickest rubber you’ve got.

For the first five days, the best you can say is that Monday the 20th morning goes glassy, but the swell is a pathetic 0.7 ft. You’d be floating more than surfing. It’s not until the 21st that we finally see a pulse of energy, with a 4 ft swell from the north on Tuesday morning. It’s a short-period windswell (5 seconds) and the combined energy is weak (89), but with glassy conditions from a light WNW wind, it might be the only window for a splash. But I wouldn't call it good.

Then on Wednesday the 22nd, we get a bit more going. A 4 ft southerly swell with a 9-second period in the morning, and with clean, cross-offshore winds from the SSW, it'll be surfable. The combined energy is moderate (198). The afternoon glass-off with a 4 ft S swell (8 secs) and 230 energy is probably the best of a bad week, but it’s nothing to write home about, and we’ve got moderate rain to deal with.

The first real standout in this forecast doesn't arrive until Friday the 24th. That morning, we’ve got a solid 6 ft southerly swell. The wind is coming from the northwest, which is cross-offshore for Barrinha, so it should be clean. The combined energy jumps up to a moderate 538. The waves will be punchy, and at that size, it's best left to the better surfers. It’s still short-period stuff at 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit crumbly at a beach break, but it’s the best we’ve got.

Saturday the 25th morning looks interesting but tricky. We have a 5 ft swell from the southeast, with a strong 22 mph offshore wind from the southwest. The combined energy is a strong 941, which is a lot of power, but that southwest wind will be ripping straight out. It will be clean, but heavy. At 5 ft with that kind of energy, you need to be on your game. It could be a session for experts only.

After that, the swell drops off again. Sunday the 26th morning has some clean 4 ft left-over swell with gentle offshore breezes, which is okay. But then we get to Monday the 27th morning, and the wind goes totally glassy with a 2 ft southerly groundswell rolling in at a very long 15-second period. The combined energy is still a decent 393. That could be a sneaky good session at a point or reef break away from here, but at Barrinha, that long period will likely see waves closing out.

Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th are back to poor, cross-on choppy junk. The last flicker of hope is on the 30th – that Thursday morning. We have a 4 ft easterly swell with glassy winds and a combined energy of 506. That’s your best bet for the second week, but it’s a long way out so keep an eye on it.

Bottom line: if you absolutely have to paddle out, aim for the 24th or the 30th. Otherwise, save your petrol.

- Rusty

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