Playa do Carreiro Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks.

We’re looking at a pretty quiet start to the run here at Playa do Carreiro. The first real surfable waves don’t show up until Friday morning the 7th of August, and even then it’s barely a whisper – just 2 ft of weak NW swell with a short 8-second period and only 58 units of combined swell energy. The wind is glassy though, which is a rare treat for this early. But it’s small, and the conditions are ordinary. That’s about as good as it gets for the first few days, honestly.

From Friday afternoon right through to Sunday the 9th, it’s a flat spell. The swell is tiny, period is short, and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore. The surf is poor. You’d be better off finding something else to do.

Monday the 10th sees a little more life – still only 2 ft from the NW, but the wind is cross-offshore and the wave energy creeps up to 75 units. It’s clean, but small. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Tuesday the 11th is a write-off, and Wednesday the 12th starts to show some promise. The morning brings 3 ft from the west with a 9-second period, clean cross-off wind, and combined energy jumping to 194 units. That’s moderate energy now, and the surf is surfable but ordinary. The afternoon bumps up to 4 ft and 277 units, still clean. Not a standout, but a step in the right direction.

Thursday the 13th morning is glassy again with 3 ft from the west, 9 seconds, and 149 units of energy. It’s clean and small. Still not exciting.

Now, the real highlight comes in on Saturday the 15th of August. The morning brings 4 ft from the NW, 9-second period, clean cross-off wind, and 254 units of moderate energy. The afternoon builds to 5 ft from the same direction, still clean, with energy jumping to 547 units – that’s strong wave energy. This is the best call of the whole outlook. The swell is big enough to get a decent wave, the wind is clean, and the break is a river mouth, so it might handle the period well. Conditions look good for intermediate surfers. Sunday morning the 16th is also solid: 5 ft, clean cross-off, 272 units of energy. Good surf conditions are expected.

After that, the wind starts to get a bit too fresh, and the swell gets messy. Monday the 17th has 4 ft but the wind is howling at 15-25 mph, and while it’s cross-off, the energy is all over the place. The rest of the week into the 22nd is more of the same – clean looking but with moderate to strong winds, and the surf quality drops. The swell direction shifts to NNW and WNW, and the period stays short at 7-10 seconds. The energy is moderate to strong, but the wind just kills it for paddle surfing. Honestly, from the 17th onward, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than for a surfboard.

So, the takeaway: if you’re keen, aim for Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th of August. That’s the only real window where the stars align – decent swell, clean wind, and good energy. The rest is a waiting game.

Rusty

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