Praia do Norte Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s happening out at Praia do Norte. Over the next 16 days, it’s mostly a story of the wind playing the villain. The water’s about 69°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for the season, so no surprises there. But the surf quality? Gonna be a struggle.

Starting off, from Tuesday the 21st of July, it’s all small and onshore. We’re talking wave heights around 3 ft from the NNW, energy around 152, but that WNW wind at 5 km/h is on it, making it poor. This sets the tone for the next few days. Wednesday the 22nd, Thursday the 23rd, Friday the 24th – it’s all cross-onshore winds and tiny, choppy surf. Nothing worth paddling out for.

There’s a bump in size over the weekend. Saturday the 25th gets up to about 5 ft from the NW (energy 292), and Sunday the 26th hits 7 ft from the NNW (energy 494). But the wind is howlin’. By Sunday it’s a fresh 35 km/h cross-shore breeze. The water’s a lumpy mess. That 7 ft swell is over 8 ft, so it’s expert-only, and with those conditions, it’s a pass.

That’s a solid 6-day stretch of nothing good until Monday the 27th morning. The wind backs off to a light cross-shore breeze, and you get a 5 ft swell from the NNW (energy 260). It’s considered “marginal,” not great, but it’s the first real look in a week. It gets a score of 1.

The standout, if you can call it that, comes on Tuesday the 28th morning. The wind finally goes offshore from the WNW, which is clean. The swell’s at 5 ft from the NNW, with an energy of 346 and a 9-second period. It’s still rated as “marginal,” but that offshore wind is a massive win for Praia do Norte. Expect cleaner faces but maybe a bit fat. This is your best bet in the whole forecast.

After that, it’s back to the grind. The end of July and start of August is plagued by strong cross-shore winds from the NNW, sometimes up to 45 km/h, and the swell stays between 2 ft and 4 ft. The 5th of August sees another pulse of 7 ft from the NNW, but it’s cross-onshore and moderate, so it’s just another choppy day.

The bottom line is the wind is gonna ruin most of these swells. There is no epic day on the cards. It’s been a lean run with a lot of poor conditions. The morning of the 28th of July with offshore wind is the one to have a look at. Otherwise, with all that strong cross-shore wind, you might find a better time on a kite.

Rusty.

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