Carcavelos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, this is Rusty. Let’s look at what’s shaping up for Carcavelos over the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a bit of a slow start, with the first few days offering only marginal conditions, but there’s a genuine standout window later that’s worth planning for.

The first real surf to talk about is Monday morning, the 7th of September. We’ve got a clean 5ft swell rolling in from the west at a solid 12 seconds, which is a proper groundswell. The water temp is sitting at 69°, which is bang on average for this time of year. The wind is a moderate breeze from the north, keeping things cross-off and tidy. The combined energy is a solid 884, which is some decent grunt. It’s a beginner-friendly break, but those 5ft sets might be a bit much for absolute beginners. The swell direction is dead on the optimum from the west, so it’s lining up nicely. Crowds are often here, so expect company.

Tuesday morning the 8th drops off to a cleaner 4ft from the west-northwest, period dropping to 10 seconds, energy down to 281. Still surfable, but nothing special. The following days through Wednesday and Thursday see a building north-northwest swell, but it’s short-period (8 seconds) and the wind is a fresh breeze, so it’s messy and tough going. The swell gets too big for this break by Wednesday afternoon (7ft) and Thursday morning (7ft), with energy up around 628 – that’s more power than the break can handle cleanly, especially with the short period.

Now, hold onto your board. Sunday morning, the 13th of September, is the absolute standout. We’ve got a 4ft swell from the northwest, but the period is a very long 13 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The wind is a glassy easterly, just a slight air, so the surface will be like a mirror. Combined energy is 637, punchy and clean. For a beginner spot, this is as good as it gets: small, clean, long-period lines. The only caveat is that long-period swells can break a bit straight on beach breaks, but Carcavelos is exposed and handles it well. This is your best session of the whole forecast.

Monday morning the 14th is also worth a mention, with flat calm wind, glassy 4ft from the northwest at 12 seconds, energy 380. A nice follow-up, but the Sunday morning is the one.

After that, the second week gets patchy. Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th have small, cleanish waves, but nothing to get excited about. Thursday the 17th sees another pulse of 7ft north-northwest swell, but it’s too big and choppy for this spot. The rest of the run into the 22nd is mostly small, onshore, or crossed-out, with no real quality.

So, to sum it up: the best on offer is Sunday morning, the 13th of September, with a glassy, long-period northwest swell at 4ft. That’s your window. The 7th is a decent second option if you need a fix earlier. The rest? Not much to write home about. Crowds are likely at this break, so get in early.

Rusty.

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