
Surf Forecasts:
Praia Brava surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 12s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 11 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 14s period, S swell with 2,033 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 6AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 12s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Praia Brava this week:
The surf forecast for Praia Brava over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 6AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Praia Brava in the next 16 days are 2.3m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 6AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 15s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 08) at 9PM.
| Wave Type | Time (-03) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 6AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 6AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 6AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Praia Brava over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this stretch of coast is copping a bit of a beating over the next 16 days. The wind is all over the shop, and the swell is mostly messy. There’s no clear standout, but if you’re desperate, there’s a couple of moments that might just be worth a paddle.
The first surfable option doesn’t pop up until the morning of Thursday, 7 August, and even then it’s average. The wind is a cross-off from the NNE at 12 mph, so the surface will be clean. Swell is a weak 5 ft out of the NE at 7 seconds – that’s short period, so fat and weak. Combined wave energy is moderate at 495 (moderate). Crowds are possible at Praia Brava as it’s a beach/jetty setup, and it’s fairly consistent, but the quality is just marginal. Water temp is 73°F, which is about normal for this time of year.
From there, the outlook turns ugly. Friday afternoon through to the morning of Thursday, 14 August, the wind is mostly cross-on or cross-shore, and the swell direction is ENE or S, but the period is short or the wind is just too strong. The combined energy values are all poor surf conditions, with scores of zero. There’s a bit of a run of S swell from 10 August to 13 August, with heights around 5 ft to 6 ft and periods of 12 to 13 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell, but the wind is cross-on, making it choppy and lumpy. The afternoon of 10 August has combined energy at 935 (strong), but it’s completely blown out with cross-onshore 16 mph winds. Not worth it.
Thursday morning, 14 August, has a 3 ft S swell at 15 seconds – very long period – but the wind is cross-shore at 16 mph, so it’s messy. The combined energy is 885 (strong), but the conditions are poor. For a beach/jetty like Praia Brava, that long period swell will likely break too straight, making it even less appealing.
Now, the best of a bad bunch – and I’m talking the only real window – is the morning of Saturday, 15 August. The wind is cross-off from the WSW at 12 mph, giving clean surf. Swell is 6 ft out of the S at 13 seconds – that’s good groundswell energy. Combined energy is 1345 (strong). The rating is marginal, but it’s the cleanest we’ve seen. The afternoon has a 8 ft SSE swell at 13 seconds and cross-off wind from the WSW at 9 mph, making it clean but big – that’s expert-only territory, and the combined energy is huge at 3277 (very strong). For a beach/jetty, that’s going to be heavy and powerful, so only for the experienced crew. Crowds are possible at Praia Brava.
After that, it’s back to the wind and chop. Sunday, 16 August has a 7 ft ESE swell at 7 seconds – short period, cross-on wind, poor. The rest of the run through to 21 August is all strong winds, messy cross-shore conditions, and weak, short-period swell. The morning of 19 August has a 4 ft E swell at 8 seconds with a light cross-off from the NNE at 6 mph, giving clean surf, but the combined energy is only 225 (weak), and the waves are ordinary. Not worth getting excited about.
So, the honest truth? The only real chance for a decent surf is the morning of Saturday, 15 August – clean, solid S groundswell, but it’s a beach/jetty, so expect it to be a bit fat and heavy. For the rest, it’s a lot of wind and chop. That’s the call from here.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 32°C on Fri morning, min 21°C on Fri night). Mainly strong winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Warm (max 31°C on Sun morning, min 18°C on Tue morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Mon night, calm by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | S 18 | ENE 5 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
223 | 210 | 198 | 261 | 183 | 259 | 110 | 225 | 68 | 270 | 176 | 539 | 416 | 872 | 1572 | 1210 | 1071 | 1132 | 752 | 763 | 1608 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 8:17PM0.73m | 11:04AM0.82m | 9:46PM0.66m | 12:27PM0.92m | 11:30PM0.72m | 2:12PM1.01m | 00:15AM0.82m | 2:44PM1.09m | 1:02AM0.92m | 3:04PM1.15m | 1:55AM1.04m | 3:22PM1.18m | 2:40AM1.15m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 4:10PM0.52m | 4:11AM0.37m | 5:10PM0.46m | 5:03AM0.22m | 6:01PM0.41m | 5:51AM0.09m | 6:56PM0.37m | 6:45AM-0.03m | 7:41PM0.34m | 7:36AM-0.12m | 8:14PM0.31m | 8:15AM-0.17m | 8:42PM0.30m | ||||||||
6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | |
— | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 27 | 23 | 32 | 32 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 31 | 25 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
Feels °C | 25 | 24 | 20 | 29 | 31 | 22 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 31 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 13 | ENE 7 | SSE 11 | ENE 7 | S 5 | SSE 5 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | E 7 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 14 |
73 | 50 | 60 | 177 | 42 | 163 | 57 | 37 | 1111 | 887 | 824 | 539 | 416 | 872 | 25 | 1210 | 1071 | 1132 | 752 | 763 | 1608 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 16 | SSE 15 | S 9 | SSE 12 | SE 9 | S 10 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SE 15 | — | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | S 16 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | S 13 | ENE 8 |
26 | 44 | 27 | 49 | 3 | 19 | 110 | 81 | 8 | — | 176 | 85 | 66 | 57 | 80 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 10 | 423 | 19 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 16 | ESE 9 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | — | S 10 | S 18 | SE 15 | — | SE 13 | E 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | E 12 | — | E 11 | — | E 11 | ENE 7 | — |
26 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 2 | — | 17 | 225 | 8 | — | 7 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 3 | — | 3 | — | 2 | 16 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | — | — | ENE 5 | ENE 8 | — | SSW 3 | S 6 | — | S 12 | SE 6 | — | — | — | E 7 | — |
223 | 210 | 198 | 261 | 183 | 259 | — | — | 68 | 270 | — | 7 | 78 | — | 1572 | 34 | — | — | — | 15 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 28 | 58 | 2 | 2 | 287 | 21 | 287 | 58 | 2 | 16 | 16 | 231 | 339 | 807 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 21 | 21 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Rio de Janeiro | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Brazil | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Praia Brava Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Praia Brava provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Praia Brava can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Praia Brava surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Praia Brava) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Praia Brava may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Praia Brava is 9 km (6 miles) from the city of Armacao de Buzios. If you plan a holiday in Rio de Janeiro, look for hotels and other accommodation in Armacao de Buzios. Armacao de Buzios has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











