La Barra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the line for La Barra. It’s a bit of a slow burn for the next week or so, but there’s some real promise for the first weekend of August.

The immediate outlook is pretty ordinary for a point/river setup. We’ve got a weak run of small, messy swell for this first stretch. Saturday morning the 18th offers surfable but very ordinary conditions, with a tiny 2ft east swell and light cross-off wind, but the water is about average for this time of year at 52°. The energy is weak (115). Sunday morning the 19th is the only real highlight of this early period. It’s only 2ft from the east, but the wind goes glassy. That’s a major positive. Combined energy is still only moderate (133), so it won’t be pumping, but it’ll be clean. That’s your best bet for a small-wave session.

From Monday the 20th through to Wednesday the 29th, it’s pretty much a write-off. We have a long gap with no real recommendations. The swell tries to pick up but gets hammered by strong onshore or cross-onshore winds. Monday the 20th has a 6ft south-southeast swell, but with 30 km/h onshore wind, the energy is strong (418) but the conditions are frankly awful. This is more of a kite surfing setup than a paddle session. Things don't improve much; we see a mix of small, weak swells and windy, choppy days. The energy values drop right down, many under 100. The only bright spot is a tiny clean window on Friday morning the 24th with a 2ft south swell and glassy conditions, but it’s very small. Don’t get your hopes up for this whole week.

Now, on Wednesday the 29th, the swell jumps up again to 6ft from the southwest, but it’s accompanied by a fresh 30 km/h cross-onshore wind. The energy is strong (301), but again, the quality is poor.

Hold on to your boards though, because things start looking up on the 1st of August. Saturday the 1st brings a solid 7ft east swell with a moderate north-easterly cross-off breeze. The energy is strong (686), and the conditions are clean. There is heavy rain forecast for Saturday afternoon, but the wind is light (15 km/h) and the 6ft east swell will be clean. This is when we start seeing some real potential.

But the real standout of the whole forecast period is Sunday, the 2nd of August. We’ve got a clean, 5ft east swell with a period of 11 seconds, that’s a nice groundswell. The wind is a glassy-light north-northwest at 5 km/h, a major positive for clean surf. The combined energy is very strong (666). This is the best on offer. It’s a point/river break, so this longer-period (11s) groundswell from the east will wrap in nicely here. The wind is light and clean. It’s for intermediate surfers—5ft is a decent size. The crowds are sometimes a factor, but with conditions this good, you’ll want to be in the water.

Looking further to the second week, it stays active. Saturday afternoon the 1st through Sunday the 2nd is your clear window. After that, conditions look promising but are less certain.

Rusty.

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