Jardim Atlantico Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Well, folks, let’s be straight with you. I’ve been staring at this stretch of coast for the next couple of weeks, and honestly, it’s a bit of a rough patch. We’ve got waves on the way, but they’re mostly going to be messy, short-period wind slop. You’re not going to want to rush out for most of this.

The first real chance of anything even remotely rideable doesn’t show up until Tuesday the 15th. Before that, we’re looking at those small, 3ft to 4ft waves with periods around 8 seconds, all chopped up by cross-onshore breezes. It’s a write-off. The energy is weak, sitting around 119 to 339 units at Jardim Atlantico, and the surface is just bumpy. Not worth the paddle.

Tuesday, September 15th rolls in with a bit more hope. We’ve got a 4ft swell from the E, but the period is still a short 8 seconds. It’s marginal – the tide might play games with you, and it’s cross-shore. It’s a “maybe” surf. Not a standout, but at least you’re not dodging whitecaps. The energy picks up a touch to 341. Still, the wind keeps things a little lumpy.

The whole run from the 16th to the 18th is just more of the same – 3ft to 4ft, short period, poor surf. It’s a few days of nothing.

Then we get a little pulse of something on Saturday, September 19th. The swell jumps to 6ft from the ESE, and the energy hits 531 – that’s our strongest push of the whole forecast. But here’s the catch – the period is still only 7 seconds. That’s a short-period swell, and with the onshore wind, it’s going to be a jumbled, rolling mess. There’s some size, but the quality is poor. It’s more of a “watch it from the sand” kind of day.

After that, it’s a long, dreary stretch. From the 20th right through to the 25th, we’re stuck with 4ft to 4ft waves, periods mostly in the 6-8 second range, and constant cross-onshore winds. There’s a little bump in energy on the 23rd – you see that 450 on the afternoon, but the swell direction shifts to ESE and the period is a longer 13 seconds. Ah, but the wind is still messing it up. It’s a tease.

The one bright spark in this whole outlook is late in the window, further out. On Wednesday, September 23rd and Thursday, September 24th, we start to see a long-period groundswell trying to build. The period jumps to 13 seconds. That’s proper groundswell. But the wind is still cross-onshore and it’s only showing 4ft to 4ft. It’s not big, but that longer period will make it more organized and have a bit more push. The energy is moderate, 450, then down to 205 and 241. It’s still not clean, but it’s the best looking surf of the run. The problem is the wind.

Look, this isn’t a great stretch. There’s no true standout. Nothing is big enough to call “all-time,” and the wind is onshore or cross-onshore for almost the entire period. For a beginner, it’s too messy. For a pro, it’s too small. The only thing that saves it from being a total blank is that consistent, week-long run of small surf – it never really dies, it just never really gets good.

The water temp is about average for this time of year, so a wetsuit is still on. And with the wind mostly blowing onshore, it might be more fun to watch the kites than to wrestle this slop. Keep the boards in the car, check back in a few days, and maybe the long-period stuff on the 23rd will clean up.

That’s the long and short of it. I’ll be out there either way, but I won't be out there smiling much.

Rusty

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