Ponta Negra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cookin' for Ponta Negra. I gotta be straight with you – this one's a tough pill to swallow.

The whole 16-day outlook is a bit of a bummer, to be honest. We're looking at a long, dry spell with no real standouts on the horizon. The first two weeks of the forecast are pretty much a write-off, with nothing worth paddling out for. The water temp is sitting at a comfortable 80°, which is pretty much what you'd expect for this time of year, so at least you won't be cold while you're sitting on the beach.

Let's start with the near term. Saturday the 25th kicks things off with a clean sky, but that's about the only good thing. The swell is coming in from the ESE at 4 ft, with a short period of 8 seconds. That's weak, wind-swell energy, only about 202 (moderate wave energy). The real killer is the wind – a solid 12 mph cross-shore from the SSE, which is going to chop it all up. It's just poor surf conditions, no two ways about it. This same sad story basically repeats itself day after day, morning and afternoon, right through the end of July. The wind is always from the SE or SSE, always cross or cross-on, and the swell stays small and weak in the 3 ft to 4 ft range with periods of 6 to 8 seconds. The energy (combined energy of all swells directed here) stays in the 100 to 200 range, low and unappealing.

The only slight change comes on the 31st of July and into the first week of August. The swell starts to nudge up, hitting 5 ft to 7 ft from the ESE. The period also stretches to 8 seconds, and sometimes 9 seconds, meaning a bit more push. The energy readings get into the 300 to 400 range, and even up to 969 (strong to very strong wave energy) on the afternoon of the 6th of August. That sounds like a lot, but it's all for nothing. The wind is still a relentless cross-on, mostly from the SE at 12 to 16 mph. It's gonna be a messy, choppy, blown-out mess. This is when the swell gets big enough (over 5 ft) that it'd be too much for beginners, and over 8 ft for a couple of those readings, making it a proper handful for experts only. But with the wind howling onshore, it's not going to be a fun session for anyone. Honestly, with that much swell and strong onshore wind at a beach break, this setup might actually be more interesting for the kite surfers than for us paddle surfers.

The long-range part of the forecast, the second week, doesn't offer any hope either. The pattern holds: medium-sized swell (5 ft to 7 ft), short period, and the same old cross-onshore wind. The afternoon of the 8th of August has a 7 ft swell from the ESE with a 9-second period, and the wind is listed as "on" from the ESE at 12 mph, which is the closest we get to clean, but the forecast still calls it "poor surf conditions." The risk of thunderstorms doesn't help.

Right now, there's nothing to get excited about. Ponta Negra is a consistent break, so it's a bit disappointing to see such a long run of poor conditions. The forecasts can always change, especially a week or two out, but as it stands, you're better off keeping the board in the car for a while. This blank run is a real bummer.

Rusty.

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