Praia das Macas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's break down what's coming for Praia das Macas over the next couple of weeks.

The long and short of it is the first week to ten days is mostly a bust thanks to persistent northerly winds. There’s a real gap from now through to about mid-week on the 18th where the surf is either small, blown out, or both. The wind is mostly cross or cross-on from the north, which just ruins what little swell is in the water. The wave energy is weak to moderate during this stretch, nothing with any real punch behind it.

The first sign of life comes on the morning of Sunday the 13th. The wind swings light SSE, going cross-off and cleaning things right up. The swell is small, about 3ft from the NW, but with a long 13-second period. The combined energy is moderate at 338, so it’s a proper little groundswell. It's clean and surfable for a beginner, but it's small. Water temp is about 65°F, which is a solid 4° colder than average for this time of year, so you'll want a thicker suit or maybe a bootie.

We get a few similar windows on the mornings of the 14th, and again on the 22nd and 23rd, with clean conditions and small, manageable NW swell in the 3-4ft range. Good for a longboard, but nothing to get overly excited about.

Now, the one that gets the heart pumping is on Friday the 25th of September. That morning, we’ve got a powerful 8ft NW swell with a very long 14-second period. The combined energy is enormous at 2910, and the wind is blowing light offshore from the ESE. It’s glassy and clean. This is excellent, serious surf for experienced surfers only. At that size, it’s too big for beginners and it’s going to have some serious punch. Because it’s a long-period groundswell, it might get a little walled-up on the beach, but the offshore wind should carve it up nicely. The crowd is listed as "sometimes" so you might not be totally alone.

The morning after, Saturday the 26th, is still a good option with a 6ft NW swell under clean offshore winds, so you get a bit of a coda to the main event.

So, bottom line: a lot of waiting for one really good day. The morning of Friday the 25th is the standout – a proper, clean, powerful swell for the experienced crew. The rest of the time, pick your windows for small, clean waves.

Rusty.

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