Praia da Vila Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's break down what we're seeing for Praia da Vila. It's a bit of a mixed forecast, but there are a couple of windows that are worth setting the alarm for.

Right off the bat, the first chance to surf is Saturday the 22nd, but I wouldn't get too excited. We've got a 8-foot south swell with a 10-second period, but the wind is howling onshore from the southwest at 12 mph, making it choppy. The combined energy is moderate at 1088, but the report says it's marginal, and I'm not arguing. It's a scratch.

Sunday the 23rd is a little cleaner. The swell drops to 7 to 8 feet from the south, with the period stretching to 11-12 seconds. The wind is lighter, but still cross-onshore. The energy builds, but conditions are still considered marginal.

The window you want to be in is Monday the 24th through Wednesday the 26th. This is the real deal. Monday morning brings a solid 10-foot south swell with a very long 14-second period, giving a strong wave energy of 3253. That's a lot of water and a lot of power. At 10 feet, this is for experts only. The wind is light onshore, but the size and period will create heavy, powerful lines. The best of the bunch is likely Tuesday the 25th. The swell drops to a more manageable 7 feet but keeps that long 13-second period, and the wind swings to a light offshore from the north in the morning, giving us clean, lined-up waves. The energy is still a solid 1273. Tuesday afternoon gets even better with a moderate offshore breeze from the NE at 12 mph, keeping the 6-foot swell clean. Wednesday the 26th keeps the quality going with a 7-foot SSE swell, a 14-second period, and moderate offshore winds from the NNE. It's a long-period groundswell on a sandbar, so expect it to close out in some spots, but with the offshore wind, there will be plenty of good ones.

After that, the swell fades. Thursday the 27th is cleaner but the swell drops to 5 feet, and by the end of the week we are looking at a weaker, short-period swell from the ENE with 8-9 second intervals. The energy drops below 600. There are some glassy days on Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st, with 5-foot and 4-foot ENE swells and clean conditions. The period is short, so the waves will be weak and soft. Good for a log or a soft-top, but not the same quality as that mid-week window.

Into the first week of September, there's a brief pulse on Wednesday the 2nd with a 5-foot SSE swell and a clean, cross-offshore wind, but the period is a short 8 seconds. Then it all fades into small, weak, and messy conditions. The final days show a bump from the ENE on the 6th with 6 to 7-foot swells, but again the period is a short 7 seconds, so it'll be soft and bumpy.

So, the bottom line: Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th are your best bets. The rest is either too big, too small, or too messy to get excited about. The water is around 67°F, which is average for the time of year, so a spring suit is fine.

Get on that mid-week window.

Rusty.

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