La Barra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's break this down in the old measurements.

Gotta be honest with ya, looking at the whole 16-day window for La Barra, it's a real tough stretch. We're looking at a long, solid gap of over a week where the conditions are just not gonna give us anything decent. The main issue is a persistent cross-onshore wind that's gonna keep things choppy and messy. The first real faint glimmer of something rideable doesn't show up until the very end of the period.

La Barra is a beach and reef setup, exposed to the swell. The water temp is sitting at 73°, which is about normal for this time of year, no major surprises there.

Starting from Saturday the 18th right through to Friday the 31st of July, it's pretty much a write-off. The wind is hammering from the N and NNE at 12 to 19 mph, and it's always coming across the face of the swell, making it a lumpy, choppy mess. The swell itself is short-period stuff, around 7 to 9 seconds, which isn't doing us any favours. While the energy builds up from a weak 3 on the 18th up to a very strong 1413 by Thursday the 30th of July, it's all for nothing with that wind. The wave comment for every single one of these sessions is "poor surf conditions." It’s heartbreaking to see that much swell energy go to waste, let me tell ya.

Now, after that long wait, things finally look like they might turn a tiny corner as we roll into August. On Saturday the 1st of August, the wind drops to a gentler 9 mph from the N. The surf is still a bit blown out, but we get a "marginal surf" tag for both the morning and afternoon. The swell is around 7 ft to 7 ft from the NNE with a short period of 8 seconds. The energy is still strong, in the 500-600 range, and it's the cleanest it's been all fortnight. It's surfable, but don't expect any gems. Sunday the 2nd of August sees the swell drop back to 5 ft to 5 ft, and the period actually stretches out to 10 seconds, which is a hint of longer period groundswell. The wind is light from the NNE, but we're back to "poor surf conditions" by the end. Still, a 10-second period from the N is the best shape we've seen all run.

Given the wind situation is just relentless, and this is a beach and reef setup, if you're into kiting, this whole run is honestly more interesting for you than for a surfer with a paddle. The strong cross-onshore and the solid swell energy would be a playground.

To be real, there's no standout session here that gets my heart pumping. The closest thing to a "best on offer" would be that Saturday the 1st of August, just for the fact the wind finally takes a break, making the surf cleaner than anything else in the forecast. But it's a marginal call at best.

Keep an eye on those forecasts, because with a break that's "very consistent," it doesn't usually stay this poor for long. That Saturday might just surprise us.

Rusty.

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