Playa do Carreiro Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Look, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it – this is one of those stretches where the surf just doesn't show up for the party. We're looking at a long, dry run from now until the end of the month, with only a few flickers of hope right at the very end. It's a tough outlook for Playa do Carreiro (a river mouth set-up) with a whole lot of "poor" and "marginal" flags.

The first real glimmer of anything worthwhile doesn't come until Thursday the 20th of August. Thursday morning sees a pulse of swell push through, about 5 ft from the NNW, with a combined energy of 282 – that's a moderate kick. The winds are a clean cross-off from the north at 16 mph, so the surface will be tidy. It's still only rated as marginal, so don't expect perfection, but it's the first time the ocean looks like it has any pulse. The afternoon gets a bit bigger at 6 ft from the NW, but the wind jumps up to 22 mph from the NNW, making it a choppy mess for paddle surfing – that kind of setup looks more interesting for kite surfing.

Friday the 21st of August is a similar story. The morning brings 4 ft from the NNW with a period stretching to 10 seconds, giving it a bit more grunt (combined energy of 384). Winds are clean from the north at 12 mph. It's still just a marginal call, though. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises on that front.

Then we hit another flat patch. From the 22nd right through to the 29th of August, it's mostly junk – tiny waves, onshore winds, or just straight-up poor conditions. There’s a small window on Sunday the 30th of August that actually looks promising. Both morning and afternoon are flagged with "expect good surf conditions." The swell sits around 4 ft from the NW with a 9-second period, but the combined energy is a solid 287 to 249. The wind is light and cross-off, meaning clean, fun little waves. This is the standout of the whole forecast. If you can wait it out, that Sunday morning (30th August) is your best bet.

The next day, Monday the 31st of August, still has some size but the wind swings onshore, killing the quality. After that, Tuesday the 1st of September drops back down to small, ordinary surf.

So, to lay it out plain: there’s a massive gap of almost no worthwhile surf from now until Thursday the 20th. That Thursday and Friday are your only semi-decent mid-range options, but they’re marginal. The one true standout is Sunday the 30th of August – that’s your day, with clean, offshore winds and a decent waist-to-chest high swell from the NW. Lock it in, but remember it’s far out, so keep an eye on the forecasts as it gets closer.

Stay patient.
Rusty.

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