Canto do Leblon Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. I’m lookin’ at what we’ve got for Canto do Leblon over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a slow burn, but there is some real quality waiting for us if we’re patient.

Right now, things are pretty ordinary. We’ve got a bit of tiny swell on the weekend of August 29th-30th, but the conditions are just meh – small, weak waves in the 2ft to 4ft range, mostly messy from the cross-shore wind. The water temp is about normal for this time of year, nothing wild to report. Not worth paddling out for unless you’re desperate for a splash.

Then we hit a flat spell. From the 31st through to the 1st of September, it’s basically a write-off – tiny surf, poor conditions. You’re better off waxing your board and waiting.

Tuesday the 2nd of September is where things get interesting, but only for the brave. We’ve got a big pulse of swell coming in – a solid 8ft to 13ft from the S/SSW with a long period of 13-14 seconds. The combined energy is massive (3964-8714), so this is strong, powerful groundswell. Problem is, the wind is howling from the SW at 12-16 mph, making it cross-onshore and choppy as hell. This is expert-only territory, and honestly, with that wind, it’s more of a battle than a session. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

After that stormy mess, Thursday morning the 3rd of September is a real standout. The swell drops to a much friendlier 6ft from the S, period 10 seconds, combined energy of 683. But the real story is the wind – a clean, cross-off swell from the NNE at just 6 mph. That’s gonna make for clean, lined-up waves. This is the pick of the early part of the forecast for intermediate surfers. The break is fairly exposed, so it’ll catch that south swell nicely.

The next few days after that (4th-7th) are pretty lackluster again – small, weaker swells and cross-shore winds spoiling the shape. Not worth a special trip.

Then look ahead to Tuesday morning the 8th of September. Another good pulse! We get a 7ft S swell with a 13-second period, and the combined energy is 1315 – a solid, moderate-to-strong groundswell. Wind is a cross-off from the north at 9 mph, so it’ll be clean. This is a great window for experienced surfers, but the size means it might be a bit much for beginners.

If you can hold out, Thursday morning the 10th of September might just be the best of the whole run. We’ve got a 5ft S swell with a 13-second period, but the combined energy is a very punchy 1452. The wind is glassy to cross-off from the WNW at just 3 mph. Lookin’ at the description – “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers” – this is clean, lined-up, and juicy. The break can get crowded sometimes, so get there early.

After that, the waves taper off again into the second week, with smaller swells, and by the 12th-13th, we’re back to tiny, ordinary waves. There’s a little window on the 12th morning with a clean 3ft S swell, but it’s small.

Bottom line: The first few days are a write-off, then the standout mornings are Thursday 3rd, Tuesday 8th, and especially Thursday 10th September. That last one is the true gem if the forecast holds.

Stay stoked,
Rusty

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