Praia das Macas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and listen up. Rusty here, looking at the charts for our local stretch.

To be honest, the next week and a half is a proper write-off for Praia das Macas. The wind is a problem. It's coming from the NNW, sometimes NW, and it's almost always cross-onshore, which is the kiss of death for getting any kind of clean face. The swell is small and weak, with combined energy mostly under 100 (32 to 99). It's just a messy, choppy mess. You're looking at tiny waves, 1 to 4 feet, and a short, weak period of 4 to 8 seconds. This isn't surfing, it's just bobbing around in a washing machine. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing to write home about there.

The real story, and the only thing that gets my pulse going, is the end of the month. The 26th of July, a Sunday, things start to get serious. The swell jumps up to 10 feet from the NNW with a period of 9 seconds, and the combined energy is massive at 1202. That's a lot of water moving. But, and it's a big but, the wind is still a strong 25 mph cross-onshore. It's going to be a war zone. Messy, lumpy, and blown out. That's not a paddle-out for the faint of heart.

Then, the real window opens up on the 27th of July, Monday morning. The swell is still solid at 8 feet from the NNW, and the energy is still huge at 1263. The wind drops to a gentle 9 mph cross-on. This is the standout. It's the first time in the whole 16-day period that the conditions come together. 8 feet is a big wave, so this is strictly for experienced surfers only. It's going to be powerful and the long period of 9 seconds means you'll get some proper lulls between sets. The Tuesday morning on the 28th of July looks even better for that window, with the swell holding at 8 feet, the energy at 1160, and the wind dropping to a light 6 mph cross-on. That's as close to clean as we're going to get. It’s a short window, but it’s the only one.

For the rest of the run, from the 29th of July on, the wind picks right back up. The swell stays big, but it's all blown out and messy. This setup, with that much swell and that much wind, honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So, the long and short of it: you’ve got nearly two weeks of absolute rubbish, then a couple of mornings (the 27th and 28th of July) that are worth a look if you're an expert. After that, it's back to the wind. Keep your eyes on the forecasts for that window, but don't hold your breath.

Rusty.

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