Praia das Macas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you – the outlook for Praia das Macas over the next 16 days is a real mixed bag. We’re looking at a long, frustrating start with a whole lot of nothing, then a brief window of real promise, and then back to the rubbish. There’s a massive gap from now until the second week with hardly a wave worth paddling for.

The first real glimmer of hope doesn’t come until Sunday, the 13th of September. That morning, the ocean finally wakes up. We’ve got a glassy, dead-calm surface with a 3 ft swell rolling in from the NW, and the period is a massive 16 seconds – that’s proper groundswell, very long period. The combined energy is a solid 576 (moderate), but that long period stuff can be a bit tricky at a beach break like this, wanting to stand up and jack quickly. For a spot that’s consistent and exposed, this is about as clean as it gets. The wind is glass – absolute perfection. This is the standout session. For a beginner-friendly break, the 3 ft is perfect, but that long period might make it a bit more powerful than the height suggests. Also, keep in mind it can get crowded here sometimes.

The afternoon of the 13th sees the swell back up a touch to 4 ft, but the wind swings onshore, so it’s a bit of a drop-off. The morning is the real deal.

The next day, Monday the 14th, is still worth a mention. The morning brings clean conditions with a light cross-offshore breeze and a 4 ft swell from the NW with an 11-second period and combined energy of 461 (moderate). The water temp is sitting at 68°, which is about normal for this time of year. It’s a good, solid, ordinary day, but nothing compared to the glassy perfection of the day before.

After that, it’s pretty much all over. The wind comes up strong and onshore, the swell gets messy and chopped up, and the quality just plummets. For the rest of the outlook, we’re looking at poor surf conditions with fresh to strong breezes side-on to the swell. The waves get up to 7 ft by Tuesday the 8th and 6 ft on the 9th, but with strong cross-onshore winds, it’s a washing machine. That kind of size and wind would actually be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So, to sum it up: the first week and a half is a write-off. The absolute best is Sunday morning, the 13th of September. That’s your window. Be there.

Rusty.

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