Praia das Macas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been watching this patch of coast like a hawk. Let’s get straight into it.

Alright, the outlook for Praia das Macas is a tough one. Over the next 16 days, from the 26th of July right through to the 10th of August, every single session is rated as "poor surf conditions." That’s a flat run, no sugar-coating it. There are no standout days, no hidden gems, and the wind is almost always cross-onshore, often fresh and lumpy. The swell is coming from the NNW for the most part, which is cross-on for this exposed beach, and the optimum direction is NW, so it’s never quite right.

Let’s walk through the period. Sunday the 26th kicks off with a 6ft swell from the NNW, but with a nasty 19 mph north wind and a 7-second period, it’s a mess. That’s 19 mph cross-on, messy conditions. The combined wave energy is moderate (348), but the wind chops it up. The afternoon gets worse with 25 mph winds.

Monday the 27th is a bit smaller, 4ft, and the wind eases to 3 mph from the NNW, but it’s still cross-on. The swell is short period (7 seconds), so the sets are weak and crumbly. The afternoon on Monday has a 3ft NW swell with a long 11-second period, but the wind is onshore from the WNW at 9 mph, so it’s just messy. Not worth paddling out.

The rest of the week looks grim. From Tuesday the 28th through the 31st of July, the swell hangs around 3ft to 5ft, but the wind is always cross-onshore, moderate to fresh breeze, and the wave state is "choppy" or "lumpy." The combined energy dips to weak (80–89) on some days, then picks up slightly (142–360). The 10th of August has a 3ft WNW swell with a 10-second period, but 22 mph NNW winds ruin it.

The only real note is that on the 7th of August, the swell peaks at 6ft from the NNW with a 10-second period, and the combined energy hits 763 (strong wave energy). But the wind is fresh cross-onshore at 19 mph, and it’s graded as poor. That’s a big swell for beginners – over 5ft, so it’s not beginner-friendly, and with that wind, only experts would even look at it. Still, the wind ruins it.

The water temperature is about 69°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year – the anomaly is 1°F, so no worries there.

Overall, the surf is a blank. The break is consistent, but the conditions are never right. It’s one of those stretches where the forecast shows nothing but cross-onshore wind and lumpy waves. There’s a chance the models could shift, but as it stands, I’d save the wax and wait for a better window.

Rusty.

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