La Barra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s talk about La Barra in feet and miles per hour.

We’ve got a stretch of surf spread across the next couple of weeks, but it’s not a straight shot of glory. There’s actually a bit of a gap right at the start. The first worthwhile waves show up Saturday morning, August 22nd, and it looks like a mellow, clean start. After that, you’ll hit a dry patch Sunday and Monday afternoons through to Tuesday, where conditions are pretty ordinary. Then we get back into the swing of things.

La Barra is a river/jetty setup, exposed to the SSW swell window. It’s fairly consistent, which is good. Water temp is sitting at 89°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s notable, a good few degrees above average, so the ocean’s feeling like a warm bath.

Saturday, August 22nd kicks off with a beautiful morning: glassy conditions, offshore wind from the NNW at 0 mph. Swell is a playful 3 ft from the S, with a period of 11 seconds – decent energy, not too long, not too short. The combined energy is moderate at 272. It’s a proper morning for a paddle, clean faces, and not many people around, though crowds can show up sometimes. The afternoon turns to junk though – cross-onshore wind ruins it.

Sunday 23rd morning is a write-off for me – onshore wind and questionable conditions. Skip it.

Monday 24th morning is another glassy one. Light NW wind calm, 2 ft from the SSW, but the period is a long 18 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell. At a river mouth, that long period might make things a bit straight, but the clean glassy surface will help. Combined energy moderate at 398.

Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th mornings both offer small, clean windows – 2 ft and 2 ft respectively, both glassy or clean. Nothing to write home about, but you’ll get a wave if you’re keen.

Thursday 27th morning is glassy again, but only 1 ft. Still, 18-second period means it’ll have some push for a tiny wave. Friday 28th morning gets interesting: 2 ft, 19-second period, glassy, and the combined energy jumps to 530 – solid moderate energy. Very good conditions forecast.

Saturday 29th morning is the first real standout. Swell bumps to 4 ft from the SSW, 16-second period, and the energy is strong at 869. Clean cross-off wind from the WNW at 3 mph. That’s a proper session – bigger, cleaner, and the river mouth should handle that long period swell well. This is the pick of the first week.

Sunday 30th morning repeats the 4 ft SSW swell but with 14-second period and glassy calm wind. Another very good morning.

Monday 31st to Tuesday 1st September mornings are smaller (3 ft and 3 ft) but still glassy and clean. Consistent, but not the standout.

Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd mornings are messy – onshore or cross-onshore. Not good.

Now, the second week has a couple of really promising mornings that you need to mark on the calendar. Friday 4th September morning is the big one. Swell hits 6 ft from the SSW, 18-second period, glassy air from the ENE at 0 mph. Combined energy is a massive 1943 – that’s very strong wave energy. This is for experienced surfers only – over 5 ft is pushing it for beginners, and at a river mouth, that long-period groundswell could barrel, but it’ll be powerful and thumping. Excellent conditions for those who can handle it.

Saturday 5th September morning is similar: 5 ft, 16-second period, glassy, energy at 1319. Another excellent morning for experienced surfers.

Sunday 6th September morning backs off to 4 ft, but still glassy with 15-second period and good energy (597). A nice clean finish to the run.

So if you can wait, the mornings from August 29th through to September 6th have plenty of highlights. The absolute standout is Friday 4th September morning – that’s the one with the most size, power, and clean conditions.

Stay safe, watch the tide and the river mouth current. Rusty.

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