Faja da Areia Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your coffee or your beer, because I’m gonna level with you. This is Faja da Areia, a little point break that loves a solid NNW groundswell. Thing is, we’re staring down a pretty long run of frustrating surf with mostly onshore wind putting a chop on things. There’s no real stand-out day that’s gonna have you ringing in sick, but there’s a faint flicker of hope way out there on the horizon.

Right off the bat, we’re in for a tough week. Starting from today through to around the 14th of September, it’s a lot of cross-onshore wind with that wind from the NE and NNE at 3 to 6 mph. The water temp is gonna be pretty average for this time of year, nothing unusual there. The sets are mostly between 2 ft and 6 ft, but the quality is just bad. The combined swell energy early on is pretty weak, hovering around 100-200 (low to moderate energy), so don't even bother paddling out for those small, wind-bumped waves.

A few days like the 3rd and the 4th are hovering right around the 4 ft mark but the direction is never quite right with that NNE wind. The 7th of September does bring a pulse of energy (combined energy at 474, moderate) but again, the wind kills it. If you’re a wave-starved beginner, the 8th might look okay on paper with a 6 ft NE swell, but that period is short and the cross-on wind makes it a sloppy, frustrating mess.

We get a very small change on the 10th. For the morning and afternoon, we see glassy conditions with the wind going calm from the N and NNW. The waves are small, around 4 ft to 4 ft from the ENE, but it's clean. The combined energy is low at 150-163 (low to moderate), so its surfable but very ordinary.

There’s a real broken spell from the 11th to the 14th of September. The swell drops to almost nothing, below 2 ft, with very poor energy readings (as low as 42). This is a solid gap of no real surf. You can stay home and wax your board.

Then, finally, on the 15th of September, a bit of a pulse. The WNW swell starts to build with a period of 10 seconds, producing a combined energy of 299 (moderate energy). It’s still got that light cross-onshore wind, so it’s marginal. The 16th of September is the one to keep an eye on. We see a 5 ft swell from the NW, but the wind is light cross-shore. The combined energy is a standout at 1007 (strong energy) which suggests a lot of water moving, but for Faja da Areia, a 13-second period is a long period groundswell, which can make it break a bit straight and fat. This one is for the experienced crew. It’s a long way out, so don’t hold me to it—forecast can change—but that’s the only whisper of real quality.

So, for a beginner, most of this is too small, too onshore, or a long way off. The only real option is that glassy window on the 10th, but the waves are tiny, so it’s a lifestyle session at best. Don't expect anything special.

Rusty.

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