Ponta Negra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Ponta Negra over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a tough stretch. The forecast shows wave energy, but the wind is never our friend. The water’s sitting at a warm 81°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, so at least you won’t be freezing while you’re staring at choppy lines.

The pattern is pretty grim right from the start. Thursday morning, 30th July, we’ve got 3ft of short-period, 6-second ESE windswell, but a 12 mph cross-on SSE wind has it all chopped to bits. The combined energy is weak (115), and the call is “poor surf conditions.” That’s the story for the next few days.

Friday the 31st sees a little bump to 4ft, but the wind stays cross and cross-on, with period dropping to a terrible 5 seconds at times. Still a no-go. Saturday the 1st of August pushes the swell up to 7ft, and the energy climbs to moderate (489), but that’s with a fresh 19 mph cross-on wind. It’s lumpy, messy, and honestly, at that size with that wind, it’s looking more like a kite session than a paddle day.

The whole first week and into the second is a repeat of the same story: cross-on winds from the SE or SSE, swell hanging around 3ft to 6ft, and poor surf conditions on every single entry. There’s a brief moment on the 8th of August where the wind goes straight onshore in the morning, but it’s still 5ft with a short 7-second period and more moderate cross-on chop in the afternoon.

The end of the run, from the 12th to the 14th of August, shows a bit more promise in the swell. Periods stretch to 9 and then 10 seconds, and the combined energy jumps into the strong range (638 on the 13th morning). But the wind is still cross-on from the SE, keeping the surface ugly. The 14th of August has the wind turning more onshore from the E, but with 5ft to 5ft of swell, it’s still not clean.

There are no standout days here. The wind is the villain, and the swell direction never matches the optimum NE direction the break wants. It’s a long blank run of poor conditions. The break is consistent, but the quality is missing. When the swell is there, the wind ruins it. When the wind is lighter, the swell is small and weak. It’s a frustrating outlook, but with a consistent break like this, forecasts can change. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty, signing off.

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