Faja da Areia Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you: the first week or so is pretty quiet. We're looking at a lot of small, weak waves and either cross-onshore or light onshore winds, so the quality just isn't there. The standout period is in the second half of the run, around Sunday, August 30th, and into the start of September. The best bet is a classic point break, Faja da Areia (Fajada-Areia).

The water temp is sitting at 77°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – nothing crazy, but you'll feel that little bit of extra warmth.

Let's run through the dates. From Wednesday, August 19th, through to about Tuesday, August 25th, the surf is small, mostly 3 ft to 4 ft, with short period swells (6 to 8 seconds) and weak energy (135 to 275). The wind is mostly cross-onshore, so expect a bit of bump. It's really not worth paddling out for. We get a bit of a bump on Sunday, August 23rd, with a 5 ft swell from the NNW and a period of 10 seconds, but the energy jumps to 424 and the wind is still cross-onshore, so it's messy. By Monday, August 24th, the swell picks up to 7 ft from the north with a gentle cross-onshore breeze, but it's still short period (9 seconds) and the wave energy is moderate (759). That's a lot of water moving around but not much for a good wave face.

Now, here's the real window. On Sunday, August 30th, things change. We get a clean, glassy morning with no wind, and a 3 ft swell from the NNW. It's small, sure, but the combined energy is 190 (weak), and with glassy conditions, it's your best chance for a clean, fun wave, especially for a beginner. That's the top pick of the whole forecast. The following Monday, August 31st, and Tuesday, September 1st, we see a 4 ft to 5 ft swell from the NNW with a 9 to 10-second period, and the energy is moderate (304 to 403). The wind is a light cross-onshore, so it's still surfable, but not as clean as that Sunday morning.

The last few days of the run, September 2nd and 3rd, drop back to 3 ft to 4 ft, with cross-onshore winds again. The energy is weak (205 to 257). There's a little window on the afternoon of September 2nd where the wind shifts to a light cross-shore, which is a bit better, but it's still marginal.

Overall, it's a slow start, but keep your eyes on that Sunday, August 30th, for the glassy conditions. The rest of the time, you're mostly wrestling with ripples.

Rusty.

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