Prainha do Farol Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Prainha do Farol over the next couple of weeks. Straight up, the first few days are a bit of a mixed bag, but there’s a standout window that’s worth getting excited about.

The water temperature is sitting at 59°, which is a whopping 6° colder than normal for this time of year – that is seriously unusual, so you’ll want a thick wetsuit or a hood.

We start on Thursday morning, the 9th of July. There’s a clean 3ft swell from the ESE, wrapping in with 10-second periods. The wind is a gentle cross-offshore breeze from the NNE, and the water is clean, with wave energy reading moderate (253). It’s not huge, but it’s workable for a beginner wave. By Thursday afternoon, the wind picks up and goes cross-shore, turning the surf poor and bumpy. Not worth it.

Friday the 10th brings a slight increase in size to 3-4ft, but the wind is cross-shore and light, leaving the surf a bit messy. The energy builds into the moderate territory (308-421), but the conditions are only marginal. Saturday the 11th is the real talker. The morning sees clean 5ft surf with that ESE groundswell, period stretching to 13 seconds, and cross-offshore winds from the NNE. The energy is solid (723). The standout, though, is Saturday afternoon. The wind goes glassy – dead calm from the NW – and the swell drops to a clean 4ft with a 13-second period. The energy is still strong (555) and the conditions are labelled as very good. This is the pick of the first week. Get in the water then.

Sunday the 12th sees a bigger pulse, with 5-6ft from the S, but the period drops to 10-11 seconds and the wind turns moderate cross-shore, creating chop. The energy jumps to 1297, which is strong, but the quality is marginal. This is more of a challenge than a treat, and with the size over 5ft, it’s getting too big for beginners.

From Monday the 13th through to Wednesday the 22nd, things go quiet. The swell drops below 3ft for most of that stretch, and the energy dips into the weak double-digit range. There are many days with no recommendations. The wind stays mostly cross-offshore or cross, but the waves are just too small to paddle. This is a long, flat run.

We finally get a pulse back on Thursday the 23rd, but the swell is short-period windswell (6 seconds) and size jumps to 7ft from the SSW with a choppy onshore wind. The energy is moderate (347), but the conditions are poor.

The real second-week standout, though, lands on Friday the 24th of July. The morning sees a clean 6ft swell from the S, period improving to 8 seconds, with a light cross-offshore breeze from the WSW. The energy jumps to 585 (moderate-to-strong), and the conditions are very good. That’s a solid, powerful wave, but at 6ft it’s pushing into expert territory for the size-conscious. The afternoon holds on at 5ft from the S with a light cross-onshore breeze, leaving it more marginal.

Prainha do Farol is an exposed spot, primarily for beginners, but it’s inconsistent. For the first week, Saturday afternoon is your only real standout. For the second week, Friday morning is the one to aim for – promising, but with it being over a week away, take the long-range call with a pinch of salt. Crowds are possible on the better days, so get in early.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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