Praia das Macas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty.

Honestly, for the next week and a half, it’s a pretty grim outlook for Praia das Macas. We’re looking at a big run of poor to marginal conditions, with nothing worth paddling out for until we get into the second week of September. The opening days are a write-off. Monday the 31st of August through to Saturday the 6th of September is all lumpy, choppy, and cross to cross-onshore winds. The energy is weak to moderate at best, with the combined swell energy struggling to get into the low hundreds, and it’s mostly short-period, wind-affected stuff. Not a single wave worth chasing.

There’s a bit of a flicker of hope on the morning of Sunday the 6th of September. It’s a short window, but we get a glassy calm, and the swell is a clean 4ft from the NW with a period of 12 seconds, giving us a solid groundswell. The combined energy hits 534 (moderate). That’s your best bet for a surfable wave, but even then, the afternoon turns back to poor, so you’d have to be an early bird.

Then it’s back to the doldrums. From Monday the 7th of September right through to Monday the 14th of September, it’s just poor, choppy, or marginal conditions. The winds are a nightmare, mostly cross or cross-onshore, and the swell is either too small or too short-period. The energy is mostly weak, in the 100 to 300 range. There’s a brief moment on the morning of Monday the 14th of September where we get a glassy 3ft NW swell, but it’s only a 10-second period and the energy is weak (197). It’s surfable, but hardly a standout.

The true standout is the morning of Tuesday the 15th of September. That’s a solid 7ft swell from the WNW with a very long period of 14 seconds. The combined energy is a massive 1625 (strong). The wind is a light, cross-offshore breeze, cleaning it right up. It’s described as excellent for experienced surfers – and that’s no surprise, because 7ft on a long period at a beach break will be powerful and possibly a bit too much for beginners. The swell direction is NW, which is the optimum for the spot. This is the one to circle on the calendar. It’s a long way out, so treat it with a bit of caution, but if it holds, that’s the session.

For the rest of the time, honestly, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, given the persistent cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions.

Stay tuned, and hope that Tuesday morning delivers.

Rusty

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