Praia Brava Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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.

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