Ponta Negra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Alright, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Ponta Negra. Right now the surf outlook is a frustrating one. The entire 16-day forecast window from Wednesday 5th August through to Thursday 20th August has very little to get excited about.

The main issue is the wind – it’s almost always coming from the southeast at around 9 to 16 mph, which puts it cross-onshore or onshore. That means choppy, messy conditions for the vast majority of the period. The swell is also weak for the most part, with combined wave energy reading low values like 112 (Saturday 8th) up to 282 (Wednesday 5th) – nothing in the moderate or strong range at all. The swell direction is mostly ESE, which is cross-shore for the exposed NE-facing break. Water temperature is sitting at 80°, which is just about average for the time of year, so nothing out of the ordinary there.

From Wednesday 5th August through to Saturday 15th August morning, every single session is scored zero – poor surf conditions. That’s a tough run. The winds are either cross-onshore or onshore, keeping things choppy and unappealing. The swell height stays between 2 ft and 5 ft, but the short periods of 6 to 8 seconds mean these are weak, gutless wind swells. The waves will be small, lumpy, and hard to enjoy. It’s not worth paddling out.

Now, on Saturday 15th August afternoon, there’s a flicker of something. The swell picks up a bit with a 4 ft wave from the ESE, but the big change is the period jumping to 13 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and the combined energy jumps to 582, which is a moderate reading. The wind is a gentle breeze from the ESE at 9 mph, putting it onshore. The forecast is only a score of 1 out of 10, calling it marginal. So while there’s more energy and shape potential, the wind is still blowing on it. On the plus side, Ponta Negra is a consistent beginner-friendly spot, and the long period should wrap nicely into this exposed NE-facing cobblestone point. But because it’s a point break, the longer period is actually an advantage – it won’t break too straight. This is the only real standout, but it’s a long way off and still questionable on wind.

After that, from Sunday 16th August right through to Thursday 20th August, it’s back to zero-rated, poor surf conditions with the same cross-onshore winds and weak, short-period swell. There’s a gap of many days with zero recommendations, and that run looks pretty normal for this area when the trade winds are up.

So, for a surfer looking for anything decent, there’s really only one marginal window to watch: the afternoon of Saturday 15th August. Everything else is a chop-fest. This setup is honestly more interesting for kitesurfing than paddle surfing with these constant cross-onshore winds and choppy conditions.

– Rusty

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