La Barra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break it down.

We’ve got a solid run of surf coming up at La Barra, a river/jetty setup that’s open to the south-southwest. The water’s sitting at a warm 86°, which is a bit above the long-term average for this time of year – nothing wild, but you’ll feel it’s a little warmer than usual.

The first part of the outlook starts on Thursday afternoon, July 9th, but honestly, don’t get your hopes up for that session. Risk of thunderstorms, a cross-on southwesterly breeze at 6 mph, and the combined energy of all swells is only 599 – that’s moderate energy. The waves are around 4 ft from the SSW with a long 15-second period, but the wind’s messing it up. It’s a bit of a dud.

Now, Friday morning, July 10th – that’s a different story. Glassy conditions with a light ESE breeze at 3 mph, and that same 3 ft SSW groundswell (15 seconds) is lining up clean. The energy’s dropped a bit to 481, but the glass makes it worth it. This is a nice little window.

Saturday morning, July 11th is the real standout early on. Glassy again, this time with a light NNW breeze, and the swell pushes up to 4 ft from the SSW with a 16-second period – that’s a proper long-period groundswell. The combined energy jumps to 599, and the forecast is for very good surf. This is the best of the first week. The river mouth should handle that long period nicely, but keep in mind that kind of swell can make beach breaks sectiony.

Sunday morning, July 12th is another glassy one – calm, zero wind, 4 ft SSW swell at 14 seconds, energy at 670. Another cracker, but the Saturday morning just edges it for the cleaner setup.

The pattern holds through the next week with mornings offering glassy conditions and clean waves in the 3 ft to 3 ft range, mostly from the SSW. The afternoons get a bit lumpy with cross-onshore breezes, so stick to the early sessions.

Then, Wednesday morning, July 22nd – here’s the big one. We’ve got a 7 ft swell from the southeast, but the period is a short 8 seconds. That’s a windswell, not a groundswell, so it’ll be a bit lumpy and less organised. But the combined energy is a massive 1119 – that’s strong. The wind is glassy from the ENE at 3 mph, so it’s clean. This is for experienced surfers only – over 8 ft is expert territory. The Thursday morning, July 23rd is also strong with 7 ft from the south, 8 seconds, and energy at 725, glassy again. Another expert-only window.

The Friday morning, July 24th offers a drop to 6 ft from the south at 10 seconds, with a clean cross-off northwest breeze. That’s a bit more manageable for strong intermediates, and the energy is still high at 967.

Overall, the standout is Saturday morning, July 11th – that 4 ft, 16-second groundswell with glassy conditions is the pick of the first week. For the big wave crew, Wednesday morning, July 22nd is the one to circle, but it’s short-period and needs respect. The mornings are your friend here – the afternoons are mostly a write-off.

Crowds can be an issue at La Barra sometimes, so get out there early.

Rusty.

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