Lajao (Baia dos Golfinhos) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty. Let’s be straight with you: if you’re chasing waves at Lajao over the next couple of weeks, you’re going to be waiting a while. There isn’t a single decent surf option on the board for the whole 16-day stretch. Not one. That’s a rough run, but it happens here.

Right now, we’re looking at a long, flat spell. The surf just isn’t there. For the first week, through to around September 20th, wave heights hover around 3ft to 4ft, but the energy is weak—combined swell energy sits mostly between 100 and 200, and sometimes drops into double digits like 85 on the 22nd. That’s not enough push to make Lajao’s reef do anything fun. The swell direction is mostly easterly, which is not what this spot wants. It needs north-east groundswell to light up properly.

The wind isn’t helping either. Through the first several days, it’s a cross or cross-off breeze out of the southeast at 12 to 16 mph. That keeps the surface reasonably clean, but the waves themselves are just fat and weak. On the 12th and 13th, the period drops to 7 seconds—that’s short-period windswell, all mush and no bite. Even when the period stretches to 8 seconds on the 11th, it’s still not enough to get the reef working.

We’ve got a gap of dead days stretching from now through to at least the 23rd. The morning of the 11th is about as good as it gets early, with a 4ft easterly swell and a cross-off wind, but the score is still a zero—there’s just no quality to it. By the 23rd, the wind swings more easterly and becomes cross-onshore, chopping things up further. That’s worse.

If you’re desperate, the 24th morning has the energy bumping up to 269 (moderate wave energy) with a 4ft swell at 7 seconds from the ENE, but the wind’s cross-onshore and the conditions are choppy. That’s not surfable for a beginner, and honestly, it’s not worth the paddle for anyone else either. The water temp is 81°F with a 2°F anomaly, so it’s slightly warmer than usual for this time of year—that’s a bit notable, but it doesn’t save the surf.

Given the break is a reef with very consistent exposure, but the swell direction is all wrong and the energy is weak, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, especially on those cross-wind days. For the board, there’s nothing on offer. Keep an eye on it though—forecasts can change, and it tends not to stay this poor for long. But for now, don’t bother waxing up.

Rusty.

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