Surf Forecasts:
Recreio surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 24 Aug, 12PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 12s period, S swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 6PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, S swell with 3,028 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 9AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Recreio this week:
The surf forecast for Recreio over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 9AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Recreio in the next 16 days are 3.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 6PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 6PM.
| Wave Type | Time (-03) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 9AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 12PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 6PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Recreio over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's get into it.
We're looking at a mixed bag of a stretch here at Recreio. The early part of the week is pretty ordinary – small, weak, short-period east swell with a combined energy of only 93 (moderate weak), and the water's running a touch warmer than normal at 73°, which is a bit unusual for late August. The upshot is a few clean windows, but nothing to get excited about. Thursday morning the 20th is glassy, but the swell is tiny at 2 ft from the east. It's surfable, but you'll be hunting for a ripple.
Things start to get interesting Friday morning the 21st. The wind is a clean cross-off from the north at 15 km/h, and the swell bumps up to 4 ft from the east with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 194 (moderate), making it the best of the early week. It's still not a standout, but it's the most fun you'll have before the weekend.
Then we hit a bit of a lull. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd are a write-off with onshore winds and a messy, onshore SSW swell. The energy is decent (372-782), but the wind is junk. Sunday morning the 23rd is glassy with a 5 ft SSW swell, but the period is only 9 seconds and the wind is clean, so it's a maybe for a dawny.
Now, the real story is the big south swell that rolls in from Monday the 24th of August through Wednesday the 26th. This is a serious groundswell with a period of 13-14 seconds, hitting 8 ft on Monday afternoon and 8 ft on Tuesday morning. The combined energy is massive – 2487 and 2280 (strong to very strong). This is expert-only territory – it's way too big and powerful for beginners. The wind is favorable (cross-off and light), but the guides say the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. This is a real beast, and it's only for the highly experienced.
After that, it settles down. The Wednesday morning of the 26th has a clean 5 ft south swell with a 12-second period, combined energy of 657 (moderate), and a light offshore from the NNE. That's a solid, clean, intermediate-level wave. The following Thursday and Friday the 27th and 28th fade out.
Looking further out, there's a second pulse on Monday the 31st of August. The morning has a clean 3 ft south swell, but the real note is Monday afternoon with a 6 ft east swell (7-second period) and a combined energy of 557 (moderate). The wind is light and cross-off, and the forecast says "expect very good surf conditions." That's a fun, punchy option for intermediate surfers.
Then, on Tuesday the 1st of September, the morning is glassy with a 5 ft east swell, 9-second period, and combined energy of 563 (moderate). That's another clean, glassy session. The final big pulse is on Thursday the 3rd of September, with a 7 ft SSW groundswell (13-second period) and a combined energy of 2405 (very strong). Once again, this is too big for this break and only for experts.
The standout of the whole 16 days? Monday the 31st of August afternoon. The 6 ft east swell, light cross-off wind, and a rating that points to "very good" conditions. It's not the biggest, but it's the best all-rounder for intermediate surfers. The water is still a touch warmer than normal through the whole period.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 30°C on Wed morning, min 20°C on Fri afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 22°C on Sun morning, min 17°C on Mon afternoon). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | SSW 7 | SSW 8 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | S 11 | S 13 | S 14 | S 13 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
83 | 66 | 49 | 48 | 62 | 211 | 137 | 104 | 274 | 298 | 778 | 550 | 337 | 258 | 640 | 1070 | 2487 | 2887 | 2280 | 1537 | 927 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross | glassy | glassy | cross | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 5:30PM0.76m | 6:39AM0.70m | 5:56PM0.69m | 11:33AM0.68m | 6:37PM0.62m | 12:28PM0.77m | 11:51PM0.63m | 1:04PM0.85m | 00:35AM0.73m | 1:35PM0.92m | 1:07AM0.82m | 2:03PM0.98m | 1:33AM0.91m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:35PM0.45m | 00:56AM0.31m | 1:44PM0.54m | 2:18AM0.35m | 3:37PM0.57m | 3:58AM0.34m | 5:35PM0.53m | 5:24AM0.27m | 6:30PM0.46m | 6:21AM0.18m | 7:05PM0.39m | 7:05AM0.09m | 7:35PM0.32m | ||||||||
6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | |
— | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 30 | 28 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 21 |
Feels °C | 30 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 21 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | S 12 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | SSW 7 | SSW 8 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | S 11 | S 13 | S 14 | S 13 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 |
83 | 66 | 49 | 48 | 11 | 139 | 137 | 104 | 274 | 298 | 778 | 550 | 337 | 258 | 640 | 1070 | 2487 | 2887 | 2280 | 1537 | 927 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | E 8 | SSW 10 | E 8 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | — | — | — | — | — |
7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 38 | 52 | 46 | 32 | 63 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SE 11 | S 16 | S 15 | S 14 | E 8 | — | — | S 15 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
3 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 11 | — | — | 4 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | E 7 | E 7 | — | SW 5 | WSW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 4 | E 5 | E 7 |
— | — | — | — | 62 | 211 | — | 41 | 99 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | 71 | 220 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 88 | 0 | 0 | 88 | 0 | 0 | 146 | 5 | 90 | 167 | 0 | 0 | 129 | 78 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 14 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Rio de Janeiro | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Brazil | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Recreio Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Recreio provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Recreio can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Recreio surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Recreio) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Recreio may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Recreio is 23 km (14 miles) from the very large city of Nilopolis. If you plan a holiday in Rio de Janeiro, look for hotels and other accommodation in Nilopolis. Nilopolis has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as cheap car hire and transport links.











