Balneario Sao Jose Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, looking over the next couple of weeks for our local stretch. It’s gonna be a bit of a mixed bag, with some solid waiting time before we see anything worth getting wet for. The water’s sitting at 70°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year – nice for the first session when it comes.

Alright, so for the first few days, honestly, there’s not much to get excited about. The whole of Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st of August are pretty flat and messy, with tiny 2ft swell and cross-onshore winds. Not worth paddling out. That carries over into Tuesday the 1st of September – Tuesday morning, though, we finally get a flicker of hope. Balneario Sao Jose picks up a glassy 4ft swell from the south, period is short at 6 seconds, but it’s clean enough to get a few slope-y ones. The combined swell energy is weak (145), so don’t expect any power. Still, if you’re jonesing, it’s the first window where you won’t be fighting a washing machine.

Then we go into another dry spell. Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd are blown out by moderate cross-onshore winds and choppy conditions, with swell around 4ft but messy. Not worth it.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Friday morning the 4th of September is a true standout for the first week. Balneario Sao Jose delivers glassy conditions with a light offshore breeze from the west, dead calm. The swell is a small but clean 3ft from the SSE, with a long period of 11 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. Combined energy is moderate (211), so the waves will have some push. The break is fairly consistent and exposed to the SE, which is bang on for the optimum swell direction. This is your best bet for a clean, cruisy session with nobody hassling you too much – crowds are often here but on a Friday morning like this, you’ll find your own peak.

After that, we get a bit of a lull over the weekend, with small swell and some onshore junk. But keep an eye on Sunday the 6th – the swell jumps to 7ft, but it’s onshore and messy, and the combined energy is strong (656). That kind of size with onshore wind at a beach/pier setup is gonna be a washing machine. More of a kite-surfing day than a paddling day.

The second week has a couple of promising windows. Tuesday morning the 8th of September looks clean, with a light cross-offshore breeze from the NE and a 4ft ESE swell (period 7 seconds, moderate energy at 256). It’s surfable, but nothing that’ll blow your hair back.

The real highlight of the second week is Friday morning the 11th of September. Glassy conditions again, with a 4ft ESE swell, period 8 seconds, and combined energy up at 300 – that’s moderate, solid energy. The break is fairly consistent, and with that clean glass, the waves will be peeling nicely. Again, the swell direction is a great match for the spot. Crowds are possible, but the quality will be worth sharing a few waves.

Then on Saturday the 12th of September afternoon, things turn glassy again with a 2ft S swell, long period of 10 seconds (combined energy 212). It’s small but clean, perfect for a longboard.

Looking way out, there’s a big one on Monday the 14th of September. Swell hits 8ft from the SE, period 10 seconds, with a huge combined energy of 1892 – that’s very strong wave energy. But that size at a beach/pier break is only for experts. The wind is light onshore, so it’ll be a beast. Not one for the faint-hearted.

All in all, the pick of the bunch is Friday morning the 4th of September for clean, long-period groundswell, and Friday morning the 11th of September for a glassy, fun-sized session. Everything else is a wait-and-see. The forecast can change though, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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