Faja da Areia Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's dig into what's brewing for the Azores.

We've got a bit of a tricky window ahead. The best bet is actually at the tail end of the forecast – a nice, clean, long-period groundswell showing up later in the second week. Until then, it's a lot of onshore wind and ordinary conditions to sift through.

Faja da Areia is the only spot on the cards, and it's an inconsistent point break, so patience will be the name of the game. It's exposed to a NNW direction, which is exactly the optimum direction for this spot.

The water is currently sitting at 76°, which is about 2° warmer than usual for this time of year – not radical, but a nice little anomaly.

Looking at the next few days, from Tuesday the 1st right through to the weekend, it's a grind. We're looking at small swell, mostly around the 3 ft to 5 ft mark, but the wind is a persistent light cross-onshore from the NE. The wave energy is weak to moderate (127-253), and the period is short, under 8 seconds. This is just messy, small, wind-affected surf. I wouldn't bother even paddling out.

There's a tiny window on Saturday morning, the 5th, where the wind goes glassy, with a 3 ft NNE swell. The energy is weak (118), but those glassy conditions are a major positive. You might find a fun crumbly wave with absolutely no wind, but the size is tiny. It's a very ordinary session.

The first week is a write-off for anything decent. We then roll into a string of days from the 7th to the 9th with more size, pushing 5 ft to 6 ft, but the cross-onshore NE wind and short period (7 seconds) keep it crap. Wave energy gets moderate to strong (318-746), but the quality is zero. The swell direction is also off, coming from NE and ENE instead of the ideal NNW.

Then, a shift. On the morning of Tuesday the 15th of September, this is the standout. The wind goes glassy, clean as a whistle. We get a 3 ft groundswell from the north with a very long 12-second period. The energy is moderate (300). This is a proper point-break kind of swell. The long period means better-shaped waves and more grunt, and with that glassy wind, it's going to be absolutely clean. The earlier inconsistent nature of the break is a worry, but when it ticks, this is the one to aim for. It's the best on offer by a country mile.

The following day, the 16th, still has a clean, glassy morning with a 3 ft WNW swell and a 10-second period, but the energy drops right off (178). There's a wave, but it'll be very ordinary compared to Tuesday.

So, to be blunt: it’s pretty poor for the first 13 days. The only true highlight is that clean, long-period session on Tuesday the 15th. With this spot being inconsistent, it might not fire, but the conditions will be perfect if it does. Don't get your hopes up for the rest.

- Rusty

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