Ilha Do Pontal Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with each other: right now, and for most of the next two weeks, Ilha Do Pontal isn’t giving us much to work with. We’ve got a long, dry stretch of poor conditions, with only a few brief glimmers worth getting out of bed for. The water temp is sitting right around average for this time of year at 72°, so no surprises there. Let’s walk through the whole picture.

This is a reef break that’s inconsistent and exposed to the east, but it really needs clean conditions to work. The 29th of July kicks things off Wednesday afternoon with a tiny 3ft south swell, 12-second period, but the cross-on wind and light chop kill it – that’s a pass. Then we hit a real drought. From Thursday the 30th through to Wednesday the 5th of August, every session gets a flat zero. The swell is all over the place – direction shifts, short periods around 6 to 7 seconds, and mostly onshore or cross-off winds with moderate to strong breezes. Even when there’s a bit of energy, like 3ft to 5ft swell on the 1st and 2nd, the wind is howling onshore at 22-25 mph. No good. The combined energy is all over the shop – from a weak 25 up to 229 (moderate energy) – but the wind ruins everything.

Finally, we get a proper standout. On the morning of Thursday the 6th of August, things line up. The wind goes glassy – I mean, WSW light air at 3 mph – and the wave face stays clean. Swell is 5ft from the ENE with a short 7-second period, and the combined energy is moderate at 342. It’s not the biggest or longest period, but that glassy wind makes it the best on offer. This is your window. After that, the afternoon turns choppy again, so make the most of the morning.

Then we get another short-lived gem. On the morning of Sunday the 9th of August, we see a 5ft ENE swell with a 7-second period, but the wind turns offshore from the SW at 9 mph – a gentle offshore that will keep things clean. Combined energy is moderate at 337. This is the second standout. The following Monday morning, the 10th of August, also looks promising: offshore SW wind at 12 mph, same 5ft ENE swell, moderate energy at 373, and clean conditions. But there’s light rain, so don’t let that put you off – the surf will be good.

The afternoon of Wednesday the 12th of August sees a bigger south swell hit – 6ft with a very long 15-second period, and combined energy is strong at 1548. But the wind is cross-shore from the SE at 9 mph, causing a slight cross-chop. For a reef break, that long period groundswell could actually work well, but the wind isn’t perfect. The following Thursday the 13th pumps out even bigger energy – 6ft from the south with a 14-second period and combined energy of 1693 – but onshore NE wind at 16 mph ruins it. Those last days are for the keen crew only.

So for the whole 16-day run, it’s mostly a blank with only a few flickers. The standout is absolutely Thursday morning, 6th August – glassy, clean, and rideable. The second best is Sunday morning, 9th August. Get in the water then, and you’ll be rewarded.

Rusty.

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