Vivo Rio Pro: Forecast Update
The best day of the Rio Pro waiting period may have already been run, with the WSL's visit falling in between swell episodes.
The week leading up to the contest pumped - as has been the case at many venues this year - and a reinforcing S/SE swell provided fun, clean 3-4ft waves to kick off the event, but we're now in the doldrums. The reduced waiting period of ten days doesn't help, but there is a swell due on the final days of the waiting period.
The surf is due to remain tiny to flat until Wednesday, when a small southerly swell arrives.
The source was a small, weak and brief fetch of strong S'ly winds on the western flank of a polar low yesterday. It'll be inconsistent with sets building to the 2ft range due through the day, with the rare bigger one possibly in the mix.
Conditions will be clean in the morning ahead of relatively weak sea breezes. Whether they run or not depends on whether they want small and clean waves, or a bigger swell with onshore winds - which will arrive later in the week and is discussed below. Keep in mind, the contest needs two more days to run.
Thursday looks like a lay day as the swell fades away, ahead of the aforementioned new swell building through Friday, the second last day of the waiting period. The source of the swell will be a close-range trough pushing up the South American east coast, with initially strong S/SW winds, easing as the trough pushes more into the Atlantic Ocean.
The trough will bring unfavourable winds to the coast as it builds Friday, onshore and moderate to fresh from the SE - messy yet contestable - though there's a good chance for more favourable easterly breezes early-mid morning. The sets should build to 4-5ft+ due through the day, easing steadily Saturday from 4ft.
Conditions look better Saturday morning with offshore NE winds, which will swing to gusty E/SE through the day, as the swell continues to wane in size.
With workable back to back days at the end of the waiting period, our hunch is the WSL might focus on the last two days of the waiting period, though it won't look especially good for viewers at home.
We can only hope for better surf in J-Bay thanks to a continuation of active Southern Ocean frontal systems.
Comments
Karma is killing the Woz.
If they get skunked at JBay surely ELo knows to put the cue in the rack.
I can think of a much better place to put it.
It's hilarious isn't it.
You couldn't plan this year;s horrible conditions and missed swells if you tried!
Conspiracy theory - they have perfectly planned and timed the events to miss good conditions at each location in order to sell more wave pools and create the WSL wave pool circuit
Haha!
haha!
thx for the update craig- poor woz can’t seem to buy a trick of late
If you're waiting for good waves in Brazil ...you might want to get a monthly rental apartment.... Brazil needs to be dropped off the tour for a location than isn't a 3rd world quality wave starved shit hole..
I get why we need the Brazil stop on tour, but why won't they come down here to Florianopolis? pretty consistent with better waves than itauna (not barrinha, but looks like wsl is ignoring that wave for some reason)
Logic and foresight have no place in the WSL. They couldn't organise their way out of a paper bag. Want proof? They timed G-Land with the worst possible tides / phase of the moon, got shit waves, and now they're like "Yeah G-Land doesn't really make sense for us right now". No G-Land, No Ments, No Cloudbreak, No Snapper. But we get a wave pool, Rio, and the finals at Trestles.
You’d hope someone looks at tide and moon chart’s before working out the schedule in an organisation that relies so much Mother Nature???
HAHA - great summary
Well, it's pretty flat this week around here in Floripa too... :( Brazil has lots of really fun beach breaks, but not consistent magical point breaks, like other spots on tour. Our beach breaks are no worse than the Northern Beaches, IMHO.
Yep just beach breaks.
Not impressed by your forecast here Craig.
Haven't you got a magic swell wand or something?
Craig just has the starter kit. Maximum three ocean basins.
Ha.
WSL is a circus with the ring masters being the air show tricksters! JJF got a 9 for one such trick on a 3ft grovel wave & the Brazilian boyz love a little closeout beachie to push their trolleys on! Give me waves of consequence to view ie: Cloudbreak, The End of The Road, Pipe, Sunset J-Bay, Snapper behind the ROCK @ 4ft++& G-Land in a solid off the Ice shelf swell any day compared to Kelly's TUB, Rio, & a 2 turn closeout in WA (when NTH Point & THE Box bekon!!!).The WOZ seems to be shooting itself in the foot oh & by the way the volume is on mute when Big Pete & Joey Turdpell Chris Corte etc are spewing their verbal diarrhea! PLEASE!
Turdpell! But should be Turdpull
Turdpail
ie shit bucket
Yea it’s funny, skating or motor cross are like let’s make this ramp bigger and crazier to appeal to the masses, surfing is going the opposite direction. Is it supposed to be in the “extreme or action” sport category or not really.
Woke SL is becoming less relevant year by year care factor zero these days . Way too many shit stops on the tour to even come close to call it a dream tour . Brazil just another puss beachbreak
What is the correlation between their 'wokeness' and the places they choose to hold the tour?
Not a lot considering the human rights abuses in El Salvador alone.
Nothing just having a dig how they big note themselves with all the equal gender stuff then don't have equal numbers on tour,, woketards at work in US . As for Brazil has it ever been pumping ever for a comp there .
The whole tour is just a waste of time and money now. I used to like tuning in to the events but have completely lost interest. They either need a complete overhaul (the primary focus of which would be to run in good waves) or they need to fold.
Bring on the WSL longboard tour in 10 to 12 ft Bells start end of August/Start of Sept...that could be entertaining with no leg ropes and single fin logs.
Get Joel Tudor to commentate
The Ziff family fortune is now worth $15billion. They can afford a loss making WSL.
So it would be better to have a loss making dream tour at the best spots in peak swells that everyone loves than a loss making snooze tour in small beachbreaks with Turps trying to convince us that tired old spins and bunny hops are exciting and progression.
Either way they lose money they can afford. But the dream tour option would at least come with a sense of pride and core audience positivity.
That's a great and fair point!
Or the Ziff's could pull out and cure hunger in some countries.
That as well :/
Someone floated on here a while back the idea of having a subscription channel which picks up all surf-related events (including bodyboarding, longboarding, challenger events etc.) so there's always content.
I reckon I would pay for that if it meant going back to dream tour days, when we didn't have to have wave pools and finals in crap waves to make money.
The way WSL handled Bethany Hamilton after she spoke up and had some questions regarding the new transgender rule says everything you need to know about the WSL.
Bethany is the most inspiring women in surfing yet when it was international womens day and the surfed had to choose a women who inspires them, Hamilton was nowhere to be seen.
According to BL and others, her name was not allowed as she spoke up about the transgender rule introduced in surfing.
Fuck the WSL
A travesty the way she's been treated.
No,
She issued a statement saying that she is boycotting the WSL.
They didn’t boycott her. It was her choice.
BL is brain dead
OMG! She issued a statement as the only female pro surfer to make a stand against the WSLs bat shit woke crazy transgender rule.
She was the only one brave enough to make that statement even though the majority agreed.
And that's how they re-pay her. By banning the most inspirational surfers name off the back of jerseys in International women's week even though she was selected by more than one surfer.
Go woke, go broke WSL
The WSL aren't going broke cos they've gone "woke", they are failing because they suck in basically every aspect of their organisation.
"She was the only one brave enough to make that statement even though the majority agreed." How would you know, fella?
You be happy for your daughter who has trained her whole life in a sport to compete against a biological male that has only tested for one year at a certain hormone level? I wouldn’t be.
Did you hear her argument? Bethany is a simpleton.
So you support the WSL transgender rule regarding trans women competing against women?
Sure, why not. What's gonna happen is not what she's saying's gonna happen, or what you think is gonna happen though, so relax already.
I’ve found him. I’ve found the problem
Slab assaults gaining ground sparked by Cape Fear. I foresee a tour in the long run. 2 photographers, one in the pond, one on the bricks, Coconut Rothman, Carol and the likes in the booth. Don't need many stops, 4 - 6 will do. Look what Tim and Nathan are feeding us; come on blokes, let's step it up. IT WILL happen fellas. Optimism abounds
WSL contest update for Brazil should read off forever, next update never.
Ha!
Craig, I know it's still a bit far out but I'm seeing a sleepy Southern Ocean for the starting few days of J-Bay ? What's your take on it ??
It's way too early to speculate Seal. It'll chop and change quite a bit.
Ok thanks, let’s hope for some decent surf for a change
I think I have figured this tour schedule out...the WSL openly said they are about creating content....Then I scrolled down their webpage and found the inspirational fly on the wall content titled "Enjoy Corona Lay Days" the latest episode presser is "Corona Lay Days gives you an inside look at what Championship Tour star Tatiana Weston-Webb and her friends get up to when competition pauses and the lay day begins."
so to create this type of content...you need what.....you guessed it...lay days....so lets put the comps in breaks that will allow us to create maximum content.
they are way smarter than us
The tour is unwatchable. Snapper, Bells, Cloudbreak, Taihitii, G-Land, J-Bay and then cap it off with a finish in Triple Crown Hawaii. Longer event windows. That’s the only way I could watch it all. But then nobody cares what I think, I’m just a spectator. Time for the Florence Rebel tour, much more watchable and entertaining.
That would be the ultimate Derrick. Proper triple crown to finish would be epic.
It's a pinnacle of surfing the triple crown. But wait, we now have the Olympics instead, and.... Trestles.
LIV surf tour?
Just as a heads up:
Now that the organisers have waited until the end of the period, Steve won't be able to write a recap for the final two days. He's headed to FNQ on AL.
If there's some sizzle, he'll write an article when he returns next Tuesday.
If it fizzles, we'll see y'all at J-Bay.
Couldn't have timed it better. Well played Steve.
First Slaters mystery illness sees him missing Brazil.
Now FRs hols just happen to coincide with this snoozefest called a comp.
I smell a rat!!
Have a hell time FR!
For shizzle.
Way ahead of you.
thx stu - enjoy your hols steve
….i’m hoping for some epic surf in a ct sometime soon- just to stop the whining and complaining that’s going on everywhere here
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"We cannot always trust in ourselves and in the boldest of our illusions. There must be trial. "
"Whosoever looks for the relation of sensational adventures, exciting situations, or even humorous predicaments, will assuredly be disappointed."
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Reference https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks/e00056.html
Preface
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On a happier note, Saturday might be a good surprise if the direction is good enough.
Low tide in the morning, with very little change through the day.
Expect an air show in the finals if the wind doesn't blow too hard (south winds would be great for flying in the lefts).