Praia da Baleia Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks at Praia da Baleia are looking pretty ordinary. We’ve got a window of small, workable surf early on, but then it mostly fades out into tiny, junky leftovers and a lot of wind. Don’t get too excited for the long run—this one’s about grabbing the moments when they come.

The water’s sitting at 73°, which is about normal for the time of year, so no surprises there when you paddle out.

Friday morning (Aug 14) is the first real option, and it’s a marginal one. We’ve got 4ft of SSE swell with a 14-second period, and the energy reading is moderate at 642. The wind is a cross-shore from the SSW at 12 mph, which will kick up a bit of cross-chop, so don’t expect it to be pretty. The tide could mess with it a bit too, but if you’re keen and the timing works, there’s a wave to be had. It’s an advanced reef setup, so you need to know what you’re doing.

Saturday morning (Aug 15) is the standout of the whole stretch. The swell bumps up slightly to 6ft from the SSE, still with a 14-second period, and the energy jumps to a solid 1225. The wind is light and offshore from the SE at 6 mph, which is about as good as it gets for this place. The break will be clean, powerful, and lined up nicely. It’s still a heavy reef, so it’s not for the faint-hearted, but for the advanced crew, this is the one to point the car at. The afternoon holds similar size but the wind swings cross-onshore, so the morning is the call.

After Saturday, it’s a steep drop. Sunday (Aug 16) has some small, short-period leftovers, but it’s mostly poor. Then we hit a long, dry spell. From Monday (Aug 17) through to the end of the window, there are days of practically nothing—just ankle-biters and onshore slop. There’s a brief bump on Monday morning (Aug 24) with 6ft from the ENE, but it’s a 6-second windswell and the wind is onshore, so it’s messy and not worth the paddle. The energy is weak and the period is terrible.

Honestly, for the next ten-plus days after Saturday, I wouldn’t bother checking the surf cam. The wind is mostly cross-onshore or just too strong, and the swell drops to dribble. There’s a tiny whisper of a southeast groundswell around Saturday Aug 22 with a 14-second period, but the height is only 2ft, so it’s not going to break properly over the reef. It’s just a tease.

The only real story here is the Saturday morning session. If you can make that, you’ll get the best of it. Otherwise, it’s a long stretch of flat, blown-out days, which can happen in these parts. The forecast can change, but as it stands, don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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