Praia Grande Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Praia Grande.

Alright, to be straight with you – the first week or so is pretty flat and ordinary. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak surf and strong winds making it hardly worth paddling out. The water temp is sitting at 72°F, which is right about average for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

We kick off on Friday the 17th of July with a bit of a nothing burger. There’s a 4ft swell from the SE, but it’s getting hammered by a 25 mph cross-offshore wind. The combined energy is only moderate (256), and the period is short at 10 seconds. The surf is poor, and the wind is strong enough to make it a real battle. Saturday the 18th is even smaller – 2ft in the morning, 2ft in the afternoon, with fresh to strong breezes. The energy drops to 153 and 126, still weak. Sunday the 19th is tiny, 1.0ft and 0.7ft, with a long-period 16-second SSW groundswell that gives a bit of shape but only 85 and 33 energy – hardly anything. It’s a clean-looking wave but so small you’ll be waiting forever.

Monday the 20th through to Wednesday the 22nd are all similar – knee-high or less, with moderate breezes and no real push. The energy is in the teens and low twenties. Thursday the 23rd afternoon sees a bit of a lift: 3ft from the SSW at 11 seconds and 184 energy, but it’s cross-off and the surf is still rated poor. Not worth a special trip.

Now, here’s where it gets a little more interesting. Friday the 24th morning brings a 3ft S swell at 10 seconds, with a gentle 9 mph cross-off breeze, and a solid 217 energy. The forecast says “expect good surf conditions,” and the wind is light – this is the first real chance of the period. Saturday the 25th afternoon builds a bit more: 4ft from the S, 9-second period, 296 energy, and clean under a light cross-off. Sunday the 26th is the standout for the first week – morning sees 4ft at 9 seconds (385 energy), and the afternoon bumps to 3ft at 11 seconds (357 energy), both with gentle cross-off winds. Clean, consistent, and good shape. If you’re picking a day, Sunday the 26th is the one.

After that, Monday the 27th gets messy with a cross-onshore wind and chop. Tuesday the 28th afternoon sees a bigger 7ft S swell at 8 seconds, but the period is short and the energy is moderate-high (809). The wind is light and offshore, so it’s clean, but that short period means it won’t be well-shaped. Wednesday the 29th jumps up to 8ft from the SSE at 10 seconds, with 1049 energy – strong wave energy. But the wind is cross-shore and choppy, so it’s messy. For experienced surfers only at that size, and even then, the quality isn’t there.

The real show starts on Thursday the 30th of July. The afternoon brings a 8ft SE swell at 14 seconds, with a massive 1897 energy and a strong offshore wind from the NE at 25 mph. That’s a powerful, long-period groundswell with clean conditions – but the offshore is so strong it’ll be hard to paddle into. Friday the 31st has 7ft SE swell at 14 seconds (1558 energy) but a near gale cross-offshore wind at 34 mph. That’s borderline dangerous. Then Saturday the 1st of August – the biggest of the bunch. The morning is 8ft SE at 14 seconds (2763 energy), and the afternoon is a massive 10ft SE at 15 seconds (4483 energy). That’s very strong, very long-period groundswell. The wind is a strong offshore, clean but hard to paddle into. At 10ft, this is only for experts – too big for beginners, and the long period means it’ll be a freight train. For a point break or reef, this would be epic, but at a beach break like Praia Grande, it might break too straight and be a handful. Still, if you’re an experienced surfer and you want a big, clean wave, Saturday the 1st of August afternoon is the standout of the whole 16 days. Just be aware the crowds are “sometimes” an issue, so you might have company.

Summing it up: the first week is mostly small and windy, with Sunday the 26th being the best of the weaker days. The second week gets bigger and more powerful, but the wind is often strong. The clear standout is Saturday the 1st of August afternoon – 10ft, 15-second SE groundswell, clean offshore wind, and massive energy. It’s a long-range call, so keep an eye on it, but it’s the one to aim for.

Rusty.

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