Praia da Barra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here with a look at what’s shaping up for Praia da Barra over the next couple weeks. I gotta be straight with you – the forecast is looking pretty darn flat and messy for most of the period. The finder’s showing a long stretch of poor conditions, and when a spot that “rarely breaks” is your only option, well, a blank run is kind of expected. There’s just no good surf to get excited about here.

Let’s start with the early days. Friday the 10th – tiny 2ft swell from the WNW, period around 9 seconds, but cross-onshore winds from the NNW at 9–12 mph chop it up bad. Combined energy is weak, 82–87. Water temp is 64°F, which is only 1°F cooler than average – nothing wild there.

Saturday the 11th morning brings a bit of promise – 2ft NW swell, period 11 seconds, and glassy conditions. Energy jumps to 120, so it’s a little more juice. But the surf is still “very ordinary” – just not enough size or shape to bother. The offshore wind in the afternoon swings onshore and ruins it.

From Sunday through the middle of the following week, it’s a whole lot of nothing. Swell stays under 2ft, periods short (6–10 seconds), energy mostly below 100, and winds are cross or cross-onshore. Even when it goes glassy again on Monday 13th morning, the swell is only 2ft with a 8-second period – barely a bump.

Around the weekend of the 18th–19th we see a little pulse – 4ft to 6ft from the NNW, but periods are short (6–8 seconds) and winds are cross or cross-onshore, making it choppy. Energy climbs into the 100–400 range, but the wave comment says “poor surf conditions” or “marginal.” For a beach/sandbar setup like Praia da Barra, that short-period swell with onshore wind just means lumpy, weak waves. Not worth paddling out.

The 23rd Thursday morning shows 7ft NW at 8 seconds – that’s getting solid size but still short period. Energy is 448, but again cross-shore wind and the comment says “marginal.” For beginners, that’s too big; for experts, the short period and cross-shore chop means it’s not going to be clean.

The best that can be said is that the 25th Saturday afternoon has 6ft NW swell at 10 seconds and an energy spike to 862 – by far the strongest energy in the forecast – but the wind is cross-onshore at 16 mph, so it’ll be messy. No standout session here.

So, bottom line: if you’re hanging for waves, you’re out of luck for the next 16 days. Praia da Barra rarely breaks anyway, and this forecast confirms it. Keep an eye on the charts – things can change, but for now I’d save the wax.

Rusty.

Read more