Jacaraipe Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – the next week or so is pretty flat and average for Jacaraipe. We’ve got a handful of mornings with a pulse of small east swell, but the wind is a mess. Most of the time it’s cross or cross-onshore, and the wave quality is rated poor. The combined energy is weak, bouncing around 91 to 220. The water temp is bang on normal for this time of year at 74°, so no complaints there.

Friday morning, the 24th, we’ve got 4ft of east swell at 8 seconds, but it’s crossed by a light southerly breeze. The water’s choppy and it’s not worth paddling out. That afternoon, the wind picks up and makes it worse. Saturday and Sunday are similar – small, weak, and crummy. Monday morning the 27th has a clean cross-offshore wind from the north, but the swell is only 2ft with a long 12-second period – that’s a groundswell, but it’s just too small to do anything with. The energy is 170 – weak.

The only glimmer in the first week comes on the morning of Friday, the 31st of July. The wind goes glassy, and the swell is 3ft from the east-northeast at 7 seconds. The combined energy is 115. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The same goes for the morning of Saturday, the 1st of August – glassy again, with 3ft of east swell at 7 seconds. The energy is 103. These are the best of a bad bunch, but they’re not standouts.

Then we hit Sunday, the 2nd of August. The morning is clean with a cross-offshore north wind, and the swell is 3ft from the east at 7 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 202 – moderate. This is the first day that feels like a proper surf. The waves are small but clean, and the crowd factor is “sometimes,” so you might get a few waves to yourself. It’s the best on offer in the early part of the window.

After that, Monday and Tuesday mornings are clean but small, with the swell staying around 4ft to 4ft. The energy is moderate. The wind is cross-offshore, so the surface is clean, but the waves lack punch and direction.

Now, on the 4th of August, Tuesday morning, the combined energy spikes to 504 – solid moderate energy – and the swell is 4ft from the east-northeast at 8 seconds. The wind is cross from the south-southwest. It’s marginal, with some tide issues. Not the best, but there’s more grunt in the water.

The real standout comes on the morning of Thursday, the 6th of August. The swell is 10ft from the east-southeast at 9 seconds, with a combined energy of 1880 – that’s strong. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the southwest, so it’s clean. But here’s the catch – that’s way too big for Jacaraipe. It’s an expert-only wave at that size. For the average surfer, this is a look-and-don’t-paddle situation. The afternoon is even bigger but onshore. The same goes for Friday, the 7th of August – 7ft to 8ft of east swell, clean in the morning but still too big for most.

The 8th of August, Saturday, drops back to 4ft from the east-southeast at a very long 13-second period. The energy is 1023 – strong. But the wind is cross from the north-northeast, and the period is so long that at a beach break like Jacaraipe, it’s likely to break straight and close out. It’s a bit of a tease.

Bottom line: the best surf for a paddle surfer is Sunday morning, the 2nd of August, with clean 3ft east swell. If you’re an expert, Thursday morning, the 6th of August, has the size and clean conditions, but it’s a serious step up. Otherwise, we’re in a long flat spell until the 2nd.

Rusty.

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