Ilha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Ilha. This is a reef break that’s pretty consistent and it’s set up to handle swell from the SE direction, which is good because that’s what’s on the menu for the next couple weeks. The water is sitting at 70°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – not a massive shift, but enough to feel nice.

The best of the whole run shows up right away. Wednesday morning the 26th, we’ve got a clean 4ft SSE groundswell with a very long period of 16 seconds. The wind is glassy out of the west at just 3 mph. It’s gonna be smooth, lined up, and the combined energy is moderate to strong (855). That’s a proper session right there. Wednesday afternoon keeps it going too, with the swell bumping up to 5ft from the same direction, still glassy, but the energy jumps to 1122. That’s great for experienced surfers – maybe a bit much for beginners at that size and with a long period reef break. This is the standout period.

Thursday the 27th gets a bit messy. Morning has a light cross-shore wind from the ENE at 3 mph, so it’s not terrible, but not as clean as Wednesday. The swell holds at 5ft, but the conditions are marginal. By afternoon, the wind picks up to 12 mph from the east, turning cross-onshore and choppy. That’s a write-off.

Friday the 28th has a moment. Morning is glassy again, with a 5ft east swell, but check the period: only 8 seconds. That’s short-period wind swell, so it won’t have the same push or shape as the earlier groundswell. Still, glassy conditions make it surfable, and the combined energy is moderate (510). Afternoon gets choppy again.

From Saturday the 29th through to the end of the first week, the swell drops off. Heights hover around 1ft to 3ft, mostly weak and disorganized. Lots of poor conditions with onshore wind. Not worth paddling out.

There’s a real gap here, so don’t hold your breath for the next few days.

A glimmer shows up way out on the 7th of September – Monday morning. A 6ft east swell with a very long period still from the SSE direction, but look: the wind is dead calm, glassy. That’s a big wave for this spot at 6ft, especially on a reef. The combined energy is strong (772). That’s for experienced surfers only. This is the other standout, but it’s over a week away, so keep an eye on it but don’t plan your life around it yet.

The 9th and 10th have some more promising signs: on the 10th, a 4ft south swell with a very long period of 13 seconds and glassy wind in the morning, combined energy at 537. That could clean up nicely if it holds.

Overall, Wednesday the 26th is the real winner. After that, it’s mostly small and messy, with one bigger, expert-level window on the 7th of September. Crowds are possible at Ilha, so get there early if you’re chasing that Wednesday glass.

Rusty.

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