Praia das Macas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and I’ve got the lowdown on the surf outlook for Praia das Macas. It’s gonna be a bit of a test of patience, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel if you’re willing to wait. The water temp is sitting at 67°F, which is 0.5°F off the long-term average—so pretty much normal for this time of year, nothing to get excited about.

Right now, and for the next week or so, we’re in a bit of a dry spell. The swell is tiny and weak, with the combined energy of all swells directed here sitting at 23 (moderate wave energy) on Friday afternoon, and it just sort of muddles along. The wind is a cross-on from the NNW, blowing at 16 mph, which is making it choppy and messy. The swell height is only 1.0ft, coming from the WNW with a short period of 8 seconds. It’s just poor surf conditions—not worth paddling out for. This theme continues through Saturday, Sunday, and into the next week. The swell never gets above 3ft, the period is short (4 to 7 seconds), and the wind stays cross-on from the NNW or NW, keeping it lumpy and poor. The combined energy climbs a bit to 149 by Tuesday afternoon, but it’s still not enough to make it good. By Wednesday morning, the swell drops back to 2ft, and the energy falls to 77. It’s a real flat spell. This gap of poor conditions lasts from Friday, July 17th, all the way through to Sunday, July 26th—that’s a solid week of no surf.

Then, things start to get bigger, but not necessarily better. On Sunday, July 26th, the swell picks up to 7ft from the NNW, with a period of 7 seconds and combined energy of 520 (strong wave energy). But the wind is howling from the north at 28 mph, cross-on, making it a messy, strong cross-onshore chop. It’s poor surf conditions—too big for beginners and not clean enough for anyone to enjoy. This continues into Monday, July 27th, with similar size and conditions, and the energy climbs to 630. Still poor.

Now, let’s talk about the standout. The best on offer is definitely Wednesday, July 29th, in the morning. The swell hits 10ft from the NNW, with a period of 9 seconds—that’s a solid groundswell with good energy, combined energy of 1331 (very strong wave energy). The wind is light from the south at 6 mph, cross-off, creating clean conditions. This is excellent surf, but here’s the catch: 10ft is only for experts. It’s too big for beginners, and it’s a long period (9 seconds) which is good for shape but can make it bendy at beach breaks. Praia das Macas is a beginner-friendly beach break, so this will be a heavy, powerful wave. It’s a true standout for the experienced crew. The wind is light and cross-off, so it’ll be clean and glassy. The crowd situation at this spot is ‘sometimes’ busy, so you might have some company. Also, the swell direction is NW, which matches the optimum swell direction for this break.

Thursday, July 30th, morning also looks good with 8ft from the NNW, period of 9 seconds, and combined energy of 1133, with light south wind at 3 mph, cross-off, and clean conditions. It’s still big, but under 8ft is more manageable for strong intermediates. The afternoon turns marginal again.

So, to wrap it up: you’ve got a week of flat, poor surf from July 17th to 24th, then a few days of strong, messy onshore wind swell from July 25th to 27th. The real window is Wednesday, July 29th, and Thursday, July 30th, mornings, with very clean, powerful, long-period swell. It’s a big swell, so only for the experienced. The forecast is reliable for the near-term, but the long-range stuff (July 29th) is promising but less certain.

Rusty out.

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