Praia das Macas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.

Alright folks, gotta be straight with you – for a solid week, it’s looking like a total write-off. We're talking from the 20th all the way through to the 27th of August, the surf is pretty much trashed. It's not that there's no swell, but the wind is just completely ruining it. We’ve got moderate to strong cross-onshore winds blowing every day, chewing up any half-decent wave into a choppy, lumpy mess. The energy from the swell is there, sometimes moderate, sometimes strong – like on the 21st afternoon with a combined energy of 843, or the 23rd hitting 811 – but with that wind, it's just not paddle-surfable. You'd be fighting a losing battle.

There's a little glimmer on the morning of the 23rd, that Sunday, where the wind goes cross-offshore and the surf looks clean. The swell is a solid 6ft from the west with an 11-second period, giving moderate energy (811), but because it's so early in the period and the rating is still a 1 out of 10, it’s a marginal call at best. Might be worth a look if you're desperate, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.

The first real standout, and honestly the only window worth getting excited about, comes on the 27th of August, Thursday afternoon. Now this is interesting. We’ve got a 6ft swell rolling in from the northwest with a nice 10-second period. The combined energy jumps up to 1096, which is strong. And the wind is finally blowing directly onshore, which is clean. The forecast calls for clean conditions with a gentle breeze. This is our best bet. It's still a marginal call, but the quality of the swell and the cleaner conditions make it the highlight of the whole forecast. The swell direction from the NW matches the optimum for Praia das Macas, so it should be lining up nicely. The water temp is about average for this time of year.

After that, from the 28th through to the 4th of September, we’re back into the same old story – strong cross-onshore winds and poor surf. There’s plenty of swell around, with heights between 4ft and 6ft, but the wind just won’t let it clean up. It’s a long, frustrating stretch. If you’re a kiter, this whole period looks wild, but for a surfer, it’s a tough run.

So, to wrap it up: don't waste your time until the afternoon of the 27th of August. That Thursday afternoon at Praia das Macas is your one shot at something worthwhile. The rest is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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