Praia das Macas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the outlook for Praia das Macas over the next 16 days is a tough one. The forecast is a long, drawn-out run of poor surf conditions, with no real standout days to get excited about. The first few days barely have any swell to speak of, and when the size does eventually pick up, the wind is never your friend.

The water is sitting at 65°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year (a -2° anomaly), so you’ll want a decent wetsuit.

We start off from Tuesday, July 14th, with tiny, weak waves. Tuesday morning sees a pathetic 2ft swell from the WNW with a short period of 6 seconds – that’s barely a ripple. The combined energy is a paltry 77 (weak), and on top of that, the wind is onshore. It’s a total write-off. Tuesday afternoon is even worse, dropping to 1ft. Wednesday and Thursday don’t get any better; we’re stuck with small, choppy, weak surf under cross-onshore winds. The energy readings are all in the double digits, just confirming how limp it is.

The weekend of July 19th sees a slight bump in swell height up to 3ft, and the energy finally cracks triple digits (101 on Sunday morning, 122 on Sunday afternoon), but the wind stays stubbornly cross-onshore. The waves will be choppy and messy. By Monday, July 20th, the afternoon sees a bit more energy (133), but the quality is still poor.

The second week doesn’t bring any salvation. From July 22nd onward, the swell actually builds in size – we’re looking at 4ft to 4ft on Wednesday and Thursday, with energy readings climbing into the 200 range. But the wind remains a constant cross-onshore, making a mess of things. The period is short (7-8 seconds), so it’s not going to have any shape.

Then we hit a bit of a lull on July 24th morning with 3ft, but then a long-period (12 seconds) pulse arrives in the afternoon with 3ft. The energy jumps to 482, but the wind is a fresh cross-onshore. It’s a tease.

The real size shows up on Saturday, July 25th, with a 7ft swell in the morning and a 12-second period. The energy is massive (1193), but the wind is howling at 22 mph from the N, cross-onshore. This is not a day for a fun paddle; it’s going to be a lumpy, messy, blown-out mess. The afternoon is similar with 6ft and 25 mph winds. This is more kite-surfing territory.

The run continues through July 27th and 28th with solid 7ft to 8ft swells and energy readings in the 700-800 range, but the message is the same: strong cross-onshore winds ruining the surface. The period is short (8 seconds) on the big days, so expect fat, lumpy closeouts.

The final day on the chart, July 29th, shows a 8ft swell in the afternoon with 882 energy, but again, 19 mph cross-onshore winds. The shape won’t be there.

Honestly, looking at the whole 16-day window, there is no good option. The swell direction is often from the NW or NNW, which is fine for the spot, but the wind is relentlessly cross-onshore. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on the bigger days. It’s a blank run.

Rusty, signing off.

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