Prainha do Farol Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this stretch of coast is going to be a test of patience. The first week and a half is a write-off for any real surfing. We’ve got a long, flat, and messy run from the 15th right through to the 21st. The swell just isn’t there, with dribbles of weak energy (33) and close to nothing on offer. It’s not even worth paddling out for most of that time.

The first real glimpse of something happens on the 22nd. We see a pulse of south swell push in, but it’s still pretty rough. The morning of the 22nd has some size at 8ft at 10 seconds, but it’s coming from the southeast with a light cross-onshore wind. The energy is getting there, but it’s not clean. The afternoon bumps up a touch to 8ft, but the wind swings more onshore and it’s still lumpy. It’s a “maybe” session, not a “go” session.

The 23rd is a step back. The swell holds, but it’s messy with a fresh cross-shore wind and a lot of chop. This isn't the one.

Then we get to the real standout. The 24th and 25th. On Monday the 24th, the swell arrives proper—10ft at 15 seconds, which is a long period groundswell. The energy is strong (3616). The morning has a cross-off wind and it’s clean, but there’s a catch: it’s too big for Prainha do Farol. This spot isn’t handling that size, so unless you’re an absolute expert looking for a beatdown, you might want to sit this one out. But the 25th is where it all comes together. Tuesday the 25th, both morning and afternoon, we’ve got clean 7ft south swell with a 14-second period. The wind is glassy, the energy is solid (1579), and the conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. This is your window. The swell direction (S) is right in the sweet spot for this joint, but be prepared: Prainha do Farol is inconsistent and rarely breaks, so when it’s on, it’s on. Because it’s exposed, it’s not going to be empty, so expect some crowd.

The 26th has some clean morning surf at 5ft with a 12-second period, and a gentle cross-off breeze. It’s decent, but the afternoon jumps to 12ft with a shorter period, which is just too much and too shifty for this break.

The rest of the week fades out. The 27th has a small, clean morning but it’s not great, and the 28th is back to poor. The weekend of the 29th and 30th is a mixed bag—some size on Sunday the 30th, but it’s rough and onshore. Not worth getting excited about.

So, bottom line: save your energy for the 25th. That’s the gem in this rough patch. A week later, the 25th of August is your best bet. Things are looking flat for a while before that, but when this spot turns on, it’s worth the wait. The water temp on the 15th is 65°, which is about normal for this time of year, so a wetsuit is your friend.

Stay patient, keep an eye on the 25th, and I’ll see you in the lineup.

Rusty

Read more