Praia da Vila Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Praia da Vila.

We’ve got a classic start to the run, with a solid pulse of swell setting in on Friday, July 24th. The energy is up there, and the conditions are looking prime. Friday morning kicks off with a clean 6ft swell from the SE, period of 9 seconds, and the wind is nearly glassy out of the WSW at 3 mph. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so don’t expect any surprises. The combined energy is a solid moderate 585, and it’s going to be glassy perfection. That’s the standout of the whole outlook – Friday morning is the one to clear your schedule for. The swell drops off a touch in the afternoon to 5ft, still clean with an offshore breeze from the ENE at 6 mph, but the morning is the real magic.

Saturday the 25th keeps things going with a smaller but still fun 5ft from the SE in the morning, clean with a light cross-off breeze. The afternoon picks up a little juice to 5ft from the ESE, and the wind goes offshore from the NE at 9 mph, keeping it clean. Good fun, but not the standout.

Now, Sunday the 26th sees a drop in size. The morning brings a long-period 3ft swell from the S at 12 seconds, but it’s a bit iffy. The afternoon is glassy with 2ft, but the energy is low. Monday through Wednesday (27th to 29th) are a write-off – small, weak, and mostly onshore or cross-onshore winds. The combined energy dips into the 100-200 range. It’s a real quiet patch, with some poor conditions in there.

Things get interesting again on Thursday, July 30th. The morning is a bit messy with onshore wind, but the afternoon is a total game-changer. The wind goes glassy out of the SSW at 3 mph, and a solid 5ft groundswell arrives from the S with a 13-second period. The combined energy jumps to a strong 947, and the setup is glassy. This is the second true standout. It’s a long-period swell, which means it’ll have more power and longer lulls, perfect for the sandbar setup here.

Friday the 31st keeps the run going with a clean 4ft in the morning from the S, offshore wind, and then a punchy 6ft in the afternoon from the ENE. That afternoon swell has a short 7-second period and a 594 energy reading, so it’ll be a bit more chaotic, but still fun with the offshore breeze.

Saturday, August 1st, is a write-off again. Strong winds and poor conditions. Sunday the 2nd is marginal and rough. But then we get a nice little window on Monday, August 3rd, with clean 4ft and offshore winds, though the energy is moderate.

The real late highlight is Tuesday, August 4th. The morning brings 6ft from the SSW with a 9-second period, and the wind is offshore from the NE. The combined energy is very strong at 1099. This is for experienced surfers only – that size is over 5ft, getting into expert territory. The afternoon is even bigger at 6ft from the S, with a moderate offshore breeze. Again, only for the skilled crew. Wednesday the 5th hangs on with 6ft, but the wind is blowing harder, making it more challenging.

From Thursday the 6th onward, it slowly fades. The swell drops, and the wind stays strong or cross-off, making the conditions marginal. The last few days up to August 8th have small, weak surf and not much to get excited about.

So, to sum it up: the absolute best windows are Friday morning, July 24th, and Thursday afternoon, July 30th. Tuesday, August 4th, is a big, powerful swell for the experts. The rest of the run has some fun waves scattered in, but those two are the ones to circle on the calendar.

Rusty.

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