Praia da Vila Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me have a look at what's coming our way here at Praia da Vila.

To be straight with you, the next few days are pretty grim. We've got a bit of small, weak swell, but the wind is just all wrong for most of it. Wednesday the 29th is a write-off with that onshore breeze. Thursday the 30th afternoon is the first real glimmer of hope, with the wind going glassy. The swell is only 2ft from the South, and the period is a short 9 seconds, so the waves will be lumpy and weak. The combined energy is only 135 (weak), but at least the surface will be like a mirror, so you could get a few grovelly ones if you're desperate.

Friday the 31st morning offers a bit more size – 3ft from the South with a better 12-second period – and the wind is offshore from the NNE at 16 mph. That means clean, lined-up waves, but the energy is still only 195 (weak). It'll be contestable, but small. The afternoon wind picks up to 19 mph, which is too strong for that little swell.

We then hit a flat spell. Saturday and Sunday are tiny, with the swell dropping to 1ft and the energy falling off a cliff. Monday the 3rd of August has some offshore wind but the swell is still weak and coming from the ENE with a short 7-second period.

Now, this is where it gets interesting. The standout window is Tuesday the 4th of August. We get a jump in energy to 436 (moderate) with a 4ft South swell and an 11-second period. But the real story is the wind: glassy, absolutely dead calm. That's a major positive. The waves will be clean, but the direction (S) isn't perfect for this spot, which prefers SSE. Still, on a day with no wind and some push, Praia da Vila will be the best it's been all week. Wednesday the 5th morning is also glassy with a 4ft ENE swell, but the period drops to 8 seconds, making it a bit crumbly.

After that good run, it gets messy again through the 6th and 7th with onshore winds and shorter-period windswell. The energy builds again on the 10th of August, but the wind is cross-onshore with light rain. The swell hits 6ft with a long 14-second period on the afternoon of the 10th, with a massive combined energy of 2159 (very strong), but the onshore component will make it choppy and hard to surf. The same goes for the 11th and 12th, with solid long-period S swell (11-14 seconds, 4ft to 6ft) but constantly spoiled by cross-onshore winds and rain. This is a case of a lot of energy, but not the right conditions to enjoy it.

So, the pick of the forecast is Tuesday the 4th of August. It's not epic, but it's the only day with a decent swell and glassy conditions. The water temp anomaly isn't listed here, but it’s probably about average for the time of year. Keep in mind it's a sandbar, so it can be inconsistent, and crowds are possible here.

Rusty

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