Praia das Macas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Praia das Macas. We’re in for a long stretch of mostly onshore, messy conditions, so don’t get your hopes up too high for the next 16 days. The water temperature is pretty usual for the time of year, nothing wild there.

The week starts off rough. Monday, August 24th, is a write-off: rain showers and a strong 25 mph cross-onshore wind with a 8 ft WSW swell – a real washing machine. That energy’s sitting at 989 (moderate) but it’s just ugly. Tuesday is a bit more manageable, but still not good. The best of the early days is Tuesday morning with a 5 ft WNW swell and a light 3 mph cross-shore wind, but it’s only marginal. Swell period is short at 7 seconds, so not much push.

Wednesday through Thursday are all poor, with onshore winds and choppy surf. The energy dips and rises, but the wind is the killer.

Now, Friday, August 28th morning, is the standout in this whole outlook. We’ve got a 10 ft WNW swell with a 12-second period – that’s a proper groundswell. The energy is strong at 2590. The wind is a gentle 9 mph cross-onshore, so it’s not perfect, but it’s the cleanest we’ll see. The problem is that 10 ft is big – too big for beginners, and it’s a beach break, so it’ll be a handful. This is one for experienced surfers only. The optimum swell direction is NW, and this is coming from WNW, close enough to work. The rest of Friday is just too choppy.

After that, it’s back to poor conditions with moderate to fresh cross-onshore winds and lumpy surf. There’s a gap of several days with nothing worth paddling out for. Sizes drop and the wind stays ugly.

Into the first week of September, the swell starts to build again, but the wind is still cross-onshore or onshore. By September 5th, we’re seeing 10 ft to 12 ft NNW swells, but with moderate onshore winds, it’s just a big, messy wall. The energy is high (1176 to 2282), but that’s no good for a clean ride.

The last few days of the outlook, September 6th to 8th, have some smaller WNW swells with longer periods (12 to 17 seconds), but the wind is still cross or cross-onshore. The period is long, which would be great at a point or reef, but at a beach break it’s going to be fat and hard to read. The energy is still moderate to strong (570 to 1540), but the wind spoils it.

So, to be honest, the only real window is Friday, August 28th morning. If you’re an expert and you like a challenge, it’s your best bet. For everyone else, it’s a long wait.

Rusty.

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