Focene or Baraonda Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on offer for our local stretch over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you – it’s a slow start. A really slow start. We're looking at a big gap of flat, small, or windy junk for the better part of the first week.

The whole outlook is centered on Focene or Baraonda, a fairly consistent, exposed beginner-friendly beach break. The water is currently a balmy 84°, which is a whopping 8° warmer than normal for this time of year – that's very unusual, feels more like a bath than the ocean.

From Wednesday the 2nd right through until about Wednesday the 9th of September, it’s mostly a write-off. We're talking tiny 1.0ft to 2ft mush with short, weak periods under 6 seconds, or full-on flat spells. The wave energy is negligible, often in the single digits (3). Even when the wind is glassy or light offshore, there just isn't enough swell to push a blade of grass.

We finally see a pulse of life on Thursday the 10th, but it's accompanied by strong 16 mph onshore winds, so the 2ft to 2ft swell (42) will be chopped to bits. Not worth paddling for.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. Friday the 11th of September is the one true standout in the entire 16-day window. Hold on to your board. The morning session is promising for the more experienced crew. We get a 7ft swell out of the West, with a 7-second period. The combined wave energy is a solid 749 – that’s moderate to strong energy. The wind is off from the ESE at 12 mph, which should keep the face reasonably clean. This is the best swell we're going to see, but at 7ft, *it’s getting a bit hefty for the beginners*.

The afternoon of the 11th jumps up to 8ft (1309 energy), but it comes with a 12 mph cross-shore, bringing a chop. That size and chop combo is really only for the experts, and even then, the quality is marginal.

After that Friday spike, it drops back off. Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th are back to small and blown-out. Monday the 14th has a messy 3ft with a chance of thunderstorms (48) – not exactly tempting.

There is a slight revisiting of hope on Tuesday the 15th of September morning. We get a 5ft swell from the WSW with a 7-second period, delivering moderate energy at 286, and a light 6 mph cross-offshore breeze from the ENE. That could be a clean little window before the onshore junk arrives again in the afternoon. This is the second-best option, but a distant second to the 11th.

The following week sees a couple more pulses. Thursday the 17th morning brings a 6ft WSW swell (316) with a clean 9 mph cross-offshore wind, but it’s flagged as marginal. Thursday afternoon fades into a 6ft mush with onshore wind.

So, bottom line: Don't get your hopes up for the next week. The only true, honest-to-goodness session to circle on the calendar is the morning of Friday the 11th of September at Focene. Get on it if you can handle some size and are happy to share it with a few others (crowds are often a factor here). The rest is just waiting for the next forecast to change.

- Rusty

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