Faja da Areia Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a 16-day window looking at Faja da Areia, and I’ll be straight with you – it’s a bit of a slow burn. This spot is a point break that’s inconsistent and exposed to the NNW, so when it’s on, it’s on, but we’ve got a lot of waiting ahead.

The water is sitting at 76°F right now, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

The first few days are a write-off. Wednesday the 2nd through to Saturday the 5th are all poor surf conditions with weak, short-period windswell. The wind is cross-on or onshore, and the swell height barely scrapes 4 ft. The combined energy is weak, sitting between 94 and 180 – not enough to get excited about. Friday afternoon the 4th and Saturday morning the 5th turn glassy, but the swell is tiny (3 ft to 3 ft) and short-period, so it’s surfable but very ordinary.

We hit a bit of a strange period on Sunday the 6th. The swell drops to 2 ft, but the period jumps to 13 seconds from the NNW, which is a long-period groundswell. The combined energy spikes to 320 (moderate), but the wind is cross-on and the conditions are still poor. It’s a tease – the energy is there, but the quality isn’t.

Monday the 7th is the first real standout. The swell builds to 5 ft from the NW, with a 12-second period. The combined energy is strong at 717. The wind is cross-on, but it’s light, and the waves are marginal. This is the best on offer in the first week. The NW direction lines up nicely with the optimum swell direction for this spot. It’s not perfect, but it’s the one to watch.

From Tuesday the 8th to Thursday the 10th, we get a pulse of 6 ft swell from the NE, but the period drops to 7 seconds, and the wind stays cross-on or onshore. The energy is moderate (328 to 423), but it’s windswell, and the conditions are poor. Not worth the paddle.

Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th see the swell drop back to 2 ft to 3 ft, but the period is 10 to 12 seconds. The energy is moderate (223 to 254), but the wind is cross-on and the conditions are poor. Another tease.

Sunday the 13th is the next standout. The swell is 4 ft from the NW with a 12-second period, and the combined energy hits 552 (moderate). The wind is light onshore, and the conditions are marginal. It’s a promising day, but the wind is a bit of a letdown.

The following week is a mixed bag. Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th are poor, but Tuesday morning the 15th turns glassy with a 3 ft NE swell. The wind is off, and the conditions are good, but the swell is weak with a short period and only 208 energy. Surfable, but not a standout.

Then we get to Wednesday the 16th – this is the big one. The swell is 5 ft from the NNW with a 14-second period, and the combined energy is a massive 836 (strong). The wind is cross-on, but light, and the conditions are marginal. This is a long-period groundswell, so it’s best for a point break like Faja da Areia. It’s a week and a half out, so it’s promising but less certain. If it holds, this is the session to aim for.

Thursday the 17th is back to poor conditions with a small 3 ft swell and cross-on wind.

For the best on offer, I’d say Monday the 7th and Wednesday the 16th are the ones to keep an eye on. The 7th has the right swell direction and decent size, and the 16th has the raw energy. Both are marginal, but that’s the nature of this spot. It’s a point break that’s inconsistent, so when it shows up, you gotta be ready.

Rusty.

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