La Barra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for La Barra over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, the water temp is sitting at just about average for the time of year, 52°F, so nothing freaky there. But look, the first week is a real slow grind. We’ve got a bit of a gap before anything worth paddling out for shows up.

Sunday the 12th is a write-off. Cross-on winds howling at 19 mph, lumpy, poor conditions. Just stay home. Monday the 13th morning is our first little glimmer. It goes glassy, dead calm, with a clean 3 ft swell from the ESE. The period is short though, only 7 seconds, so it’s a bit weak and won’t have much push. Combined energy is moderate (229). It’s surfable, but really ordinary. That light off-shore wind on Monday afternoon and Tuesday keeps things clean, but the swell stays small and weak. Nothing to get excited about.

From Wednesday the 15th through to about the 20th, we’re in a proper flat spell. Swells drop right off, a lot of readings below 3 ft, combined energy is barely hitting triple digits, and we’ve got rain and even a risk of thunderstorms in the mix. Winds are mostly cross-off, so clean, but there’s simply no wave power. This area is seeing a real blank run.

Then things shift. On Tuesday the 21st, a pulse of short-period swell arrives, pushing 7 ft in the morning and 8 ft in the afternoon from the WSW and SW. But here’s the catch – the period is only 6-7 seconds, and the wind is a fresh cross-shore, up to 19 mph in the afternoon, creating lumpy, messy conditions. That’s a lot of water moving around without any shape. Honestly, with that much wind and that short period, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The energy is moderate to strong (461-643), but it’s not going to be fun on a surfboard.

The real standout is Wednesday the 22nd of July. This is the one to mark on your calendar. Morning brings a beautiful 4 ft swell from the SSE with a long period of 11 seconds, and clean cross-off winds from the NE at only 9 mph. Combined energy is strong (674). This is groundswell, proper energy, and it’s going to set up nicely at La Barra’s point and river mouth. The swell direction is right from the optimum (S), so the banks should line up. That afternoon holds a bigger 5 ft from the same SSE direction, but the wind swings onshore from the W at 16 mph, so morning is definitely the session. This is your best call in the whole window.

After that, it fades again. Thursday the 23rd and beyond drop back into the 2 ft to 3 ft range with weak energy, and the next potential glimmer isn’t until Monday the 27th. That Monday brings a promising pulse: 3 ft from the SSE with a 13-second period in the morning, light breeze, good energy (379). That’s a long-period groundswell that will wrap into the point nicely, so don’t sleep on it if you can wait.

So, bottom line: a slow start, one cracking morning on the 22nd, and maybe another decent window on the 27th. Make the most of Wednesday the 22nd.

Rusty.

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