Ponta Do Rapa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks. Ponta Do Rapa is the only show in town, and it’s a tricky one. This break is a reef setup that rarely breaks, so when it does, it’s a proper event. But we’ve got a long wait ahead.

The first real chance to get wet isn’t until Sunday the 5th of July. The morning is the standout of the whole 16-day run. We’ve got a 6ft SSE swell with a solid 11-second period, and the combined energy is moderate at 730. The wind is glassy, absolutely dead calm, so the surface will be like a mirror. The water temperature is 63°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – about 4° cooler, so you’ll want a thicker suit. This is for advanced surfers only; the break is rarely breaking, so if it’s on, it’s a special one. The swell direction is SSE, which is a good match for the optimum E direction here, but it’s a reef, so that long period will hold up well.

After that Sunday morning magic, the quality drops off fast. The afternoon gets a bit of a cross-shore wind and the score tumbles. Monday the 6th is a write-off with onshore winds and choppy conditions. Tuesday the 7th has a cleaner feel with cross-off winds in the morning and offshore in the afternoon, but the swell drops to 5ft and 4ft, with shorter periods around 7-8 seconds – less grunt.

Then we hit a long dry spell. From Wednesday the 8th through to Friday the 10th, the swell is tiny, mostly under 3ft, and energy is weak (under 160). Not worth paddling out for.

The next flicker of interest comes on Saturday the 11th of July. The swell picks up to 5ft from the SSE, but the period goes very long at 15 seconds. The combined energy is strong at 1026, but it’s a light cross-onshore wind and the setup is a reef. That long period will make it sectiony and tricky – a real challenge. Not a beginner’s day.

Sunday the 12th has a 4ft S swell in the morning with glassy conditions, and the energy is moderate at 635. That’s a clean window, but the swell is just okay. After that, the rest of the week into the 14th and 15th is mostly small, weak, and messy.

The second week gets a bit of a pulse around Saturday the 18th of July, with a 6ft SSE swell, but the period is short at 7 seconds and the wind is onshore. The energy is moderate at 348, but it’s going to be lumpy and weak. Then Sunday the 19th and Monday the 20th have 5ft to 5ft swells with longer periods (11-14 seconds), but the wind is never clean offshore. It’s all cross-on or light rain, so the quality will be ordinary.

So, the one true standout is Sunday morning, the 5th of July. Glassy, 6ft, 11-second SSE swell at Ponta Do Rapa. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. Everything else is a gamble with inconsistent waves and marginal conditions. If you’re an experienced surfer and you can read a reef, that Sunday morning is your best bet. Otherwise, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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