Praia Brava Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get stuck into the outlook for Praia Brava. The next couple of weeks are a mixed bag, with a pretty quiet start, then a few windows of opportunity if you’re patient.

The first few days are a struggle. Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th offer tiny 2ft to 2ft easterly swell, with a short period around 8 seconds. The energy is almost non-existent (combined energy of all swells directed here is just 47 on Thursday morning). Even though the wind is glassy at times, the surf is just too small and weak to bother with. You’ll be waiting.

Saturday the 8th morning brings a shift. The swell bumps up slightly to 2ft, but the big change is the period jumping to 15 seconds from the southeast. That’s a proper groundswell, generating a combined energy of 214, which is moderate. The wind is glassy, and the forecast says expect good surf conditions. The water temperature is a notable 69°, which is 4° warmer than normal for this time of year – a real treat. For a surfer, this is the first real standout. The southeast direction isn’t the absolute optimum, but for a clean 2ft groundswell on a glassy morning, it’s worth a paddle.

After that, it gets messy and windy from Sunday the 9th through most of the following week. The onshore winds and chop make for poor conditions. There’s a brief moment on the morning of Friday the 14th with a glassy 2ft, 15 second southeast swell showing 239 combined energy, but the consistency is iffy.

Now, the big one. Mark your calendars for Sunday the 16th of August. That morning, the swell jumps to a solid 7ft from the east-southeast, with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is a massive 748 – that’s strong wave energy. The wind is calm, glassy. This is the standout of the whole forecast. It’s a powerful, clean swell, but be warned: at 7ft, this is getting into expert-only territory. It’s going to be a full-on session. The period is short, so it’ll be a bit crumbly, but the power and the glassy conditions are the real draw.

The days following see a drop-off, with some 3ft to 4ft easterly swell on the 17th and 18th, but the wind is onshore or cross-shore, making it choppy and poor. The final few days from the 19th to the 21st fade back into tiny, weak surf under 3ft.

So, to sum it up: the best bet is the glassy morning of Saturday the 8th for a fun, clean ride on the groundswell, but the absolute standout is Sunday the 16th of August – a big, powerful, glassy morning for the experts. Get on it.

Rusty.

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