La Barra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Honestly, the next week and a half is going to be a write-off down at La Barra (Uruguay). We’re looking at a solid stretch of poor surf conditions starting now and running through to the end of August. The wind is just a pain, coming in cross-onshore and chopping everything up, with moderate breezes between 9 and 19 mph. The swell is small to modest, mostly around 3 ft to 5 ft, but it’s short-period windswell (6-8 seconds) that isn't offering any real push. The combined wave energy is weak to moderate, sitting between 123 and 220 (units suppressed) for most of this time, which tells you there’s just no guts to it.

There’s a brief bump on Monday the 24th of August, with the swell picking up to 5 ft and the period jumping to 12 seconds, bringing the energy up to 750. But even then, the wind is still cross-on, and the comment is only “marginal” at best. It’s a tease, really – a bit of groundswell but no clean conditions to ride it properly.

Things start to move more around Friday the 28th and into the weekend. The swell gets more serious, pushing up to 7 ft to 7 ft, but it’s still short-period (7-8 seconds) and the cross-onshore wind is still ruining it. The energy is moderate to strong, hitting the 500s and 600s, but it’s messy and lumpy out there. This is the kind of surf that will have you thinking more about the kitesurfing potential than paddling out – it’s just not clean enough for a proper session.

But then – and this is where it gets interesting – there’s a window starting Tuesday the 1st of September. The wind finally swings around to a cross-offshore direction, easing up to a gentle breeze in the morning and a light breeze in the afternoon. The water is still warm, at 76°F with a slight anomaly of 3°F, so that’s a bit warmer than average for the time of year – you’ll only need a shorty at most.

By Wednesday the 2nd of September, it all starts to click. The wind drops to basically nothing in the morning – a slight air from the ESE – and we’ve got that clean, glassy surface with swell still pushing in at 6 ft from the NNE with a 7-second period. The energy is moderate to strong at 637, and this is where you want to be. This is the standout of the whole window. It’s not massive, but it’s clean, and at La Barra, a beach and reef setup that’s very consistent, that’s gold.

The rest of that first week of September stays rideable, with the swell holding around 6 ft to 7 ft, and the mornings looking much cleaner with lighter winds. The energy stays strong, in the high 500s, 600s, and 700s by the 4th of September. Just be mindful that as we get further out, this is a long-range call, so treat it as promising but not set in stone. The afternoons can still get a bit choppy with the onshore picking up, so hit it early. Crowds are likely, so get out there early for the clean ones.

Basically, forget the next week. Save your energy for the first few days of September – that’s where the real, clean surf is on offer.

Rusty.

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