Cogumelo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s get into it.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: we are looking at a long stretch of pretty ordinary conditions here at Cogumelo. The swell direction is mostly coming from the NW or WNW, and the wind is almost constantly blowing cross-onshore or onshore, which is going to leave things lumpy and choppy for days on end. There’s a real gap of almost no surf on offer until we get to Thursday morning, the 20th of August.

Now, Thursday morning the 20th of August, we finally get a bit of a window. The swell is tiny, just 2ft from the WNW, with a short period of 9 seconds. But the wind goes glassy – absolutely dead calm. That means the surface will be clean as a whistle, even if the waves are small. The combined energy is weak (52), so it’s not going to be powerful, but for a quiet, clean session on a small board, it might be your best bet in this whole run. The water temp is about average for the time of year.

Things get a bit bigger on Friday the 21st, with 5ft from the NW in the morning, but the period is a short 8 seconds and the wind is a messy cross-onshore at 12 mph – the energy jumps to a moderate 302, but the quality is poor. That afternoon and through the weekend, the wind picks up even more, with fresh breezes up to 19 mph making it lumpy. For the experienced guys, Saturday afternoon the 22nd sees a bump to 5ft with energy at 434, but again, it’s all wind-affected.

The second week looks pretty bleak. From Monday the 24th onward, it’s a constant story of small to medium NW swell (mostly 4ft to 5ft) with short periods and persistent cross-onshore wind. The energy figures are mostly in the low to mid 100s and 200s, but it’s all “poor surf conditions” in the data. Friday the 28th morning offers a tiny glimmer: 5ft from the NW with a light cross-shore breeze, and the energy at 242, but it’s still only rated as marginal. Saturday the 29th morning is similar, with 5ft and light cross-onshore wind, energy at 314 – again, just marginal.

Honestly, if you’re desperate for a paddle, that glassy Thursday morning the 20th of August is the standout. For the rest, unless you love battling onshore chop, you might be better off waiting for the next system to roll through. Given the swell is over 5ft at times and the quality is poor with strong winds, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on most days.

Stay patient, folks.

- Rusty

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