Balneario Sao Jose Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your wettie, let’s talk about Balneario Sao Jose for the next couple weeks. We’ve got a real mixed plate here, but a few clean windows if you’re patient.

Water temp is about 69°F, just a touch warmer than usual for this time of year – a nice little gift for your Tuesday session. The first real shot is Tuesday morning the 18th. It’s dead glassy with a light 5 mph breeze out of the NW. Swell is from the ESE at 4 ft and an 8-second period. Combined energy is moderate (219). It’s not pumping, but with clean, glassy conditions, Balneario Sao Jose will be a fun one for everyone. That’s your best bet in the near-term.

Tuesday afternoon the wind turns onshore and it’s game over for quality. Wednesday the 19th morning is tiny (2 ft) and glassy, but just too small to get worked up about. Thursday the 20th is flat and poor. Friday the 21st morning cleans up with a cross-offshore breeze and 3 ft, but it’s still weak.

Then Saturday the 22nd brings a S swell (5 ft, 10 seconds) but it’s onshore with rain – looks messy and marginal. Sunday the 23rd is the same story: onshore junk.

Now, the second week gets spicy. Monday the 24th of August shows a real jump in energy. We’ve got a S swell building to 6 ft in the morning, with combined energy in the strong zone (1248). By the afternoon it’s 6 ft from the SSE with a very long 14-second period. That’s proper groundswell energy (1387). The wind, though, is a light cross-onshore from the SE. It’s putting a little chop on it. This is too big for beginners, and a long-period S swell tends to close out beach breaks – you’d want a point or reef. For experts who don’t mind some texture, there’s serious power. This setup might actually be better for kite surfing than paddle surfing with that onshore wind.

The rest of the week fizzles. Tuesday the 25th the swell drops and the wind cranks from the east, making a mess. Wednesday the 26th morning gives us a clean, glassy 3 ft with a long 11-second S swell (264 energy). Small and clean – fun for a longboard but nothing special.

Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th are tiny and clean but hardly surfable. The final call is Monday the 31st of August. The morning is glassy with a 5 ft E swell and a short 6-second period. Energy is moderate (268). It’s clean but short period means it’s a bit bumpy. Good for a beginner’s session. The afternoon goes onshore again, and the first days of September stay jumbled and onshore.

So here’s my call: Tuesday morning the 18th is your sure thing – clean, glassy, and fun. The Monday the 24th of August has the size and power for experienced surfers only, if they can manage the chop. The second week has a few tiny clean windows but nothing to write home about. Keep an eye on it, the forecast can always tighten up.

- Rusty

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