Playa do Carreiro Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – this next stretch for Playa do Carreiro is a real mixed bag of meh. We’re looking at a long run of mostly ordinary, poor, or marginal conditions, so don't get your hopes up too high.

The first real chance of anything decent doesn't show up until Thursday morning, the 20th of August. That’s a solid 11-day wait from the start with nothing but small, weak, or windy surf to pick from. The water temp is sitting at 66°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

From Wednesday the 5th right through to Wednesday the 19th, it’s mostly small swell – we’re talking 1ft to 3ft from the W or NW, with a few pulses the odd day. The energy is mostly weak to moderate, with the combined energy readings sitting between 30 and 200 (moderate). The problem is, the wind is nearly always a cross-offshore breeze, and while that keeps it clean, the waves themselves are just too weak and inconsistent to get excited about. The morning of Saturday the 8th looks glassy, but with only 1ft of swell, it’s barely a ripple. The afternoon of Monday the 10th sees a 12-second period groundswell from the NNW with combined energy of 184 (moderate), but it’s only 2ft and the wind is cross-shore, so it’s likely to be gutless.

The standout window, and the only one I’d circle, is Thursday morning, the 20th of August. We’ve got clean 5ft NW swell, with a nice offshore wind from the NE at just 3 mph. That’s glassy, clean, and the energy is solid at 280 (moderate). The swell is from the NW, which is a little off the optimum WNW direction, but with offshore conditions like that, it’s the best we’ve got. The swell period is 8 seconds, so it’s a short-period wind swell, not a groundswell, but it’s still the pick of the bunch. It’s a river break, so it’s fairly consistent, but it can get crowded sometimes, so don’t expect to have it to yourself.

Later that afternoon, the swell bumps up to 6ft from the NNW, with combined energy of 356 (strong), but the wind swings cross-shore from the NW, and the wave comment says marginal, so it’s a downgrade. The 6ft spike on Friday afternoon the 14th (combined energy 275) is a total write-off thanks to a 6-second period and 19 mph winds. That’s more of a washing machine than a wave.

The 20th morning is your one true shot. It’s not a classic, but it’s the only time the stars align enough for a proper session.

Rusty, signing off.

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