La Barra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve gotta be straight with you – the outlook for La Barra over the next 16 days is pretty bleak for a proper surf. We’ve got a lot of days where the wind is just messing things up, and the swell isn’t doing us any favours either. Let’s break it down.

We start off with nothing worth paddling out for. All the way from Thursday, August 13th through to the end of the first week, it’s a write-off. The wind is mostly cross-onshore, blowing between 9 and 16 mph, leaving the surface choppy and messy. The swell is hanging around 4 ft to 6 ft, mostly from the NNE with a short period of 6 to 8 seconds, so it’s weak, bumpy, and holds very little energy (energy readings sit between 196 and 373 – moderate overall but poor quality). It’s just not surfable in any fun way.

There’s a small window around Monday, August 25th morning and Tuesday, August 26th morning where the conditions move from pure rubbish to just “marginal.” We see the swell sitting at 5 ft from the NNE, with a period of 7 seconds, and the wind backing off to a light breeze around 6 to 9 mph, going cross-shore. The energy nudges up to around 239 to 245, but it’s still messy. It might look okay if you’re desperate, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up for anything clean.

The standout, if you can call it that, looks like Friday, August 28th. The swell picks up to 6 ft to 6 ft from the N, with a period of 8 seconds, pushing energy up to 435 – the strongest we see (moderate wave energy). This is the biggest swell on offer, but – and it’s a big but – the wind stays cross-onshore at 12 mph, so it’ll be choppy. At this size, it’s on the edge of being too big for beginners, but for more experienced surfers, it could offer some punch, just not in clean conditions.

When there’s no surf at all for days on end, it’s a tough stretch. La Barra is exposed to the WNW, and we’re just not getting the right direction or wind setup to make it work. The water’s sitting at 75°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year, but it’s not making the waves any better.

So, honestly, this 16-day run is a long gap of poor to marginal surf. The only day that might be worth a look is Friday, August 28th, but it’s a messy one. Keep an eye on the forecasts – things can change, but for now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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