Faja da Areia Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on offer at Faja da Areia over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you—the first few days are a bit of a write-off. We’ve got some poor surf conditions kicking things off on Thursday the 10th with a small 2ft swell from the NNW, but the wind is cross-on, which messes up the face. The water is sitting at 77°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s a nice little bonus when you’re just sitting out there. The combined energy is weak (112) and it stays that way for a while.

Friday through to the start of the following week is a real grind. We’ve got swell building a bit, hitting 5ft to 6ft from the NE over the weekend, but the wind is cross-on the whole time, and the period is short—around 6 to 7 seconds. That’s windswell, not groundswell, and it’s messy. The energy picks up a bit, hitting moderate (293 to 516), but the surf is still poor into Sunday. By Monday the 14th, the swell drops back to 3ft and the wind goes cross-shore, but it’s still not making anything worth paddling for.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. If you’ve got patience, there’s a real standout window coming up. On Sunday the 20th, things start to turn. The morning sees a 5ft NNE swell, but the real magic is the wind—it goes glassy, dead calm. That’s clean, smooth, no ripples. Combined energy is moderate (221) and the forecast says “expect good surf conditions.” That’s the first real hope.

But the absolute best session in this whole 16-day run is Monday the 21st. Morning session: 5ft from the NNE, with a zero wind, glassy, flat-calm surface. The combined energy jumps to a strong 577, and the forecast is calling for “very good surf conditions.” This is the one to aim for. The swell direction is a solid match for the optimum (NNW), and the period is 8 seconds, so it’s a short-period swell, but with that glassy wind, it’s going to be super fun. That Monday morning is the pick of the lot.

Now, a heads-up: Faja da Areia is a point break, and it’s inconsistent and rarely breaks, so when it does line up like this, you want to be on it. Crowds are rare, so you might have it mostly to yourself, especially on a Monday.

After that, the swell hangs around but gets a bit more mixed. Tuesday the 22nd has a 4ft NNE swell, glassy in the afternoon, with moderate energy (462), and that’s another solid option. The week after that—the 23rd to the 25th—is a bit of a fade. The swell stays around 3ft to 5ft, but the wind swings back to cross-on or onshore, and the energy is moderate to strong (236 to 716), but the quality drops off. The later part of the window, like Thursday the 24th, has a 3ft NNW swell with a long 13-second period, but it’s onshore, so it’s more of a clean-up set than a glassy session.

So, the standout is crystal clear: Monday the 21st, morning, glassy, 5ft from the NNE, with strong energy. That’s your best shot. Sunday the 20th morning is a close second. Don’t waste your time on the first week unless you’re desperate for a paddle.

-Rusty

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