Forecast: Rio Pro

Craig Brokensha picture
Craig Brokensha (Craig)
Swellnet Dispatch

The Championship Tour has done its fair share of globetrotting of late: Australia, Indonesia, Central America, and now across to Brazil.

From reef to boulder-strewn point waves, we’re back to the beach and there’s plenty of swell on the way for the stretch of sand between Barrinha and Praia de Itauna.

The quality of the waves here are often underestimated, yet this stretch of the Brazilian coast faces due south, so it picks up any lick of swell rounding Cape Horn, and with rock outcrops at either end of the beach sand is often stacked into semi-permanent shape - a righthander at Barrinha and a longer left up at Itauna.

This 2018 article explains the construction work that created the Barrinha right.

The first day of the waiting period kicks of this evening, around 8pm our time, right as a new southerly swell fills in. This swell was generated earlier this week by a strong low sitting south-east of Argentina and should provide good 4-5ft sets under a morning offshore wind. Weak sea breezes are expected into the afternoon creating bumpy conditions as the swell starts to ease.

Friday will be clean again with easing surf from the 3-4ft range, bumpy into the afternoon again with a shallow southerly change linked to approaching frontal activity and further pulses of southerly swell.

We’ll see plenty of southerly swell to follow from Saturday afternoon, though weaker in nature as a series of relatively weak cold fronts will push up the east coast of South America.

From Saturday afternoon through Monday we should see surf to 4ft though freshening cross-onshore south-west winds through Saturday and Sunday will likely see them called as lay days. It should also be noted that there'll be 2ft of background easterly trade-swell in the mix, though hard to distinguish under the southerly energy.

Lighter southerly winds are due on Monday, likely variable in the morning allowing competition to get back under way.

As we head towards the end of the waiting period (Thursday week) the southerly swell will ease in size and power but morning offshore winds will kick back in ahead of afternoon sea breezes.

Comments

Solitude's picture
Solitude's picture
Solitude Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 11:40am

Craig V Surfline

Thu:
4-5' (craig)
6-8' (surfline)

Fri:
3-4' (craig)
5-7' (surfline)

Sat-Mon
up to 4' (craig)
6-10' --> 8-12' (surfline)

Thanks for keeping it real Craig. Love our American brothers and sisters, never letting the truth get in the way of a good story ;)

Jaspo's picture
Jaspo's picture
Jaspo Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 12:00pm

haha this is brilliant

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 12:03pm

To be fair, Surfline measure wave heights in face feet.

So, main diff is we are calling for slightly bigger surf (than Surfline) Thurs, fractionally bigger surf Fri, and then smaller surf from Sat - Mon.

Solitude's picture
Solitude's picture
Solitude Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 12:16pm

Yeah I know that's what they do, hard to get the head around - maybe a bit like trying to equate temps in Fahrenheit.

Just can't imagine any reasonable surfer calling it like that (not even the seppos I've met). My cynical side likes to think they err on the 'hype' side of things.

kaybeegee's picture
kaybeegee's picture
kaybeegee Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 1:33pm

Fear of being sued I bet

DudeSweetDudeSweet's picture
DudeSweetDudeSweet's picture
DudeSweetDudeSweet Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 2:10pm

I’ve had a Septic quote Uluwatu as being “three to three and a half feet” on the way down the old stairs years ago. It got funnier when I realised he was serious.

Solitude's picture
Solitude's picture
Solitude Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 2:16pm

Solid.........36 + ('')

wetgecko's picture
wetgecko's picture
wetgecko Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 6:23pm

Since when have surfers measured waves in face feet. Thanks for speaking in our language swellnet !

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Friday, 24 Jun 2022 at 6:07am

So, Day 1 is done and dusted. How big was the surf? (I didn't watch).

The WSL presser just came through, which says "The Oi Rio Pro kicked off today in four-to-six foot waves at Praia de Itaúna".

Is that Face Feet (i.e. 2-3ft Surfers Feet), or Surfers Feet (i.e. 8-12ft on the face)?

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Friday, 24 Jun 2022 at 6:09am

Sets were in that 4-5ft range from what I saw (overhead to 1.5x overhead).

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Friday, 24 Jun 2022 at 6:31am

Yep, just went through a few highlight vids. This looks 4-5ft to me (8-10ft on the face).

mpeachy's picture
mpeachy's picture
mpeachy Friday, 24 Jun 2022 at 8:59am

I actually agree with the yanks, measure what you surf (the face) haha

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Friday, 24 Jun 2022 at 9:01am

I'm only concerned with forecast accuracy, I don't really mind how people measure wave heights. As long as the metric is consistent, it's fine by me.

And, it can never be 5ft, 7ft or 9ft.

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Friday, 24 Jun 2022 at 9:08am

Can you sell surfboards 180cm long and around 45cm wide?

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Friday, 24 Jun 2022 at 9:12am

Yes. Yes, you can.

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/manly/surfing/6-foot-fibreglass-surfboar...

(I can't believe there is one for sale with those exact dims, right now)

mpeachy's picture
mpeachy's picture
mpeachy Friday, 24 Jun 2022 at 9:15am

Oh wow that is bizarre.

And a bargain, surely the leggie alone is worth 20 bucks

Jono's picture
Jono's picture
Jono Friday, 24 Jun 2022 at 9:19am

Hmmm depends on what a "leg strap" is

mpeachy's picture
mpeachy's picture
mpeachy Friday, 24 Jun 2022 at 9:24am

My guess is that Kay's husband is lazy about putting his surfing things away after getting back from the beach. They've had a bit of a falling out, and that's just one of the many reasons for it.

He works during the day and doesn't know about her Gumtree account. He'll come back one day and his board will be gone.

Kay simply doesn't know the proper name for a leg rope.

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Friday, 24 Jun 2022 at 9:21am

Seems he's selling a "leg strap", not a leggie. Maybe one of these?

Or perhaps one of these.

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Friday, 24 Jun 2022 at 9:23am

Hahaha
I think that surfboard is a lot like other 180cm blokes (5’11) telling people they’re 6ft

Paul McD's picture
Paul McD's picture
Paul McD Friday, 24 Jun 2022 at 2:21pm

Looked like 6ft of swell in the water to me...some bombs hitting the outside rock across the channel. The waves being surfed were n the 4-5ft range.

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Friday, 24 Jun 2022 at 2:35pm

Sweet.

wetgecko's picture
wetgecko's picture
wetgecko Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 6:17pm

So true !

crg's picture
crg's picture
crg Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 11:56am

Wake me up for J-Bay...

lost's picture
lost's picture
lost Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 12:19pm

Sounding like Kelly

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 12:20pm

Ha.

Bustard's picture
Bustard's picture
Bustard Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 12:00pm

11 out of 24 are Brazilians for the mens 46% ...just an observation ...

Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 1:55pm

Enjoying Oney Anwar on the Nias broadcast, what a happy human, swap out Turpels endless drivel.

DudeSweetDudeSweet's picture
DudeSweetDudeSweet's picture
DudeSweetDudeSweet Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 2:15pm

Im already reinjured. Potentially out of the water for many more weeks. Emotional state unstable and teetering on the edge of The Hole. Thinking of setting controls for the heart of the sun and power drinking my way through the entire Rio contest.

Would be eminently regrettable but I’m past caring.

Will more than likely be copious amounts of shit talk on the Brazzo comp live thread.

Apologies in advance.

flollo's picture
flollo's picture
flollo Monday, 27 Jun 2022 at 12:19pm

That sucks, I wish you a good recovery.

drodders's picture
drodders's picture
drodders Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 2:54pm

I love how Australia’s always judge how others measure surf in feet, we wouldn’t know a foot if we were smacked in the head with one.

burleigh's picture
burleigh's picture
burleigh Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 6:11pm

My fantasy surfer is very Brazilian heavy. And Callum Robson because he’s the judges favourite. Must be something to do with their TV show and the Aussie Battler

Roadkill's picture
Roadkill's picture
Roadkill Thursday, 23 Jun 2022 at 6:40pm

Nias pro is on live..if people want to watch something now. Yesterday’s waves were just epic.

seal's picture
seal's picture
seal Friday, 24 Jun 2022 at 9:29am

How refreshing to have some swell forecast for a shit beach break with dodgy winds that's rip and tide dependent, with a fanatical crybaby crowd on the beach........ all setup to encourage flip flap aerials and monumental claims at the expense of places like Cloudbreak where we might have seen some great waves and surfing.
Not to mention intimidation and threatening behaviour towards the judges and officials before the comp even starts, plastered all over social media !
No wonder KS avoids the joint like the plague ????!!!

AlfredWallace's picture
AlfredWallace's picture
AlfredWallace Monday, 27 Jun 2022 at 9:42am

Seal. Such true words, its going back to the sham does of its more important to please your sponsors, web viewers etc. than it is to promote good surfing and better destinations by skilful athletes. I cant go back, boring as bat shit.

evosurfer's picture
evosurfer's picture
evosurfer Monday, 27 Jun 2022 at 12:46pm

Surfline and magic seaweed I think eat the same mushies with their wave size.