Ponta Negra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty.

Look, I’m gonna level with you. The outlook for the next 16 days is a tough one. We've got a solid run of onshore wind and messy conditions blowing across Ponta Negra. It’s a consistent break, which normally would be great, but with a persistent moderate onshore breeze from the ESE and SE, it’s choppy and bumpy almost every single day. The swell is there, but it’s not pretty.

Starting from Thursday the 10th of September, we’re looking at a 5ft ESE swell with a short period of just 7 seconds. The wind is cross-onshore at 16 mph, and the combined swell energy is reading 297 – that’s moderate energy but it’s all blown out. This pattern locks in for the whole first week. Friday and Saturday are more of the same, with the swell holding around 5ft to 5ft but still coming from the ESE with a period of 8 seconds at best. The wind stays up. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Come Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th, the swell starts to drop a little, down to around 4ft, but the wind doesn't let up. It’s still that moderate cross-onshore chop. The wave energy dips to around 242. It’s a grind. We go through a gap where the conditions just aren’t offering anything clean for paddle surfing. Honestly, with this persistent cross-onshore wind and moderate energy, the setup might look more interesting for the kite surfers than for us.

We drag through the second week with the same story. The wind stays stubborn from the ESE, 13 to 16 mph, and our wave heights hover between 4ft and 5ft. The swell periods are short, mostly 5 to 7 seconds, making for small, weak, and jumbled waves. There’s a brief moment on Tuesday the 22nd where the wind drops to a gentle breeze of 9 mph but it’s still an onshore or cross-onshore direction, and the swell is small and weak.

The most interesting thing in the whole 16 days happens on Wednesday the 23rd of September. Swell from the ESE, but a very long period of 12 seconds sneaks in. Heights are small, only about 3ft, but that long period indicates real groundswell energy. The combined energy jumps to 296, which is moderate, and the wind is onshore but much lighter – a gentle breeze. The problem is, with a long period like that on a beach break like Ponta Negra, the waves can break straight and close out. It’s not an ideal setup for that kind of swell, but if you find a sandbank, there could be a clean little wave. This is the only real standout, but it’s a long-range bet and a small window. After that, we’re back to the onshore chop.

So, honestly? There’s nothing on offer that gets me excited. It’s a blank run of 16 days for decent paddle surfing. Ponta Negra is a consistent wave, so it tends not to stay this poor forever, but right now, the forecasts aren't giving us a break. I’d leave the board at home and maybe check the wind forecast for the kites.

Rusty.

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