Praia das Macas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and listen up. Rusty here.

Alright, let's be straight with you. The next couple of weeks at Praia das Macas are looking like a real mixed bag for surfers, with a lot of close-outs and onshore chop to sit through. The water is sitting at about 69°F, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so at least you won't be freezing while you watch it close out.

The first week and a half is a write-off. From Sunday the 19th right through to Tuesday the 28th of July, it’s a tough watch. We’ve got a persistent NNW to NW wind blowing cross-onshore or onshore, and it’s just chopping everything up. The swell is there, ranging from 2ft to 6ft, but the wind state is a mess. The wave energy is mostly weak to moderate, but it doesn't matter because the quality is poor. There are no standouts here, folks. The swell period is mostly short too, so you’re getting weak, wind-affected slop. Don't even bother paddling out.

Things finally get interesting on the 29th of July. Tuesday the 28th shows a jump to an 8ft swell from the NNW with a period of 9 seconds, which is a proper groundswell. The energy reading gets massive, but the wind is cross-shore, making it a bit lumpy. That is expert territory at that size. The real gem, and the only highlight of this entire outlook, comes on Wednesday morning, July 29th. We get a 7ft swell from the NNW, with a 9-second period, and the wind swings around to a clean offshore from the ESE at 12 mph. The combined wave energy is strong, and the forecast says it’ll be very good surf. This is the one. It’s a proper West-facing wave, and with that offshore breeze, it’s going to be clean and lined up. The size is big, so it’s for experienced surfers only.

The next morning, Thursday July 30th, is also worth a paddle. We’ve got a 3.5ft groundswell from the NNW (9 seconds) with a light cross-offshore wind from the SSE at 6 mph. It will be clean and glassy. A good backup option if the 29th is too big.

After that, it falls away again. The first week of August goes back to cross-onshore winds and weak, choppy surf. A real nothing of a finish.

So, to sum it up: most of the 16-day run is a washout. Don't waste your time until the morning of July 29th. That’s your only true standout, with solid size and clean offshore wind at Praia das Macas. Be ready for that one. After that, keep an eye on the morning of July 30th for a smaller, cleaner session.

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