Playa do Carreiro Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey everyone, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s shaking at Playa do Carreiro over the next couple of weeks.

Right up front, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – it starts off real slow. For the first ten days or so, from Friday July 10th all the way through to about Monday July 20th, the surf is mostly tiny and just ordinary. There’s a little bump on Saturday morning the 11th – we get clean, glassy conditions with a 2 ft swell from the NW, period around 11 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (161). It’s rideable, but don’t expect any magic. The water’s at 62°, which is a couple of degrees cooler than normal for this time of year, so you might want an extra layer.

Through the middle of the week, the 15th and 16th of July, there are some glassy mornings with tiny 2 ft waves, but the energy is weak (55-66). It’s more of a relaxing float than a surf.

Now, the first real highlight I can point you to is Monday the 20th of July in the morning. We’ve got clean conditions with an offshore breeze from the ENE at 6 mph. The swell bumps up to 3 ft from the NNW, with a period of 7 seconds. The combined energy is moderate (102). It’s still small, but that offshore wind will make it look a lot better than it is. Crowds can show up sometimes, so get there early if you can.

But if you want the best of the bunch, lock in Saturday the 25th of July morning. We’re looking at a 4 ft swell from the NW with a 9-second period, and the combined energy is strong (254). The wind is light and cross-shore from the NW at 3 mph, keeping things fairly clean. That’s the best size and energy we see in the whole 16-day run. Later that afternoon it drops a bit to 3 ft but the energy is still strong (231).

Before that, Friday the 24th of July afternoon sees a spike to 5 ft from the WNW, but the period is short (8 seconds) and the wind is cross-shore from the NW at 9 mph, making it choppy. That kind of size and chop could be more interesting for kite surfing than paddling.

So, here’s the bottom line: the first week and a half is mostly flat and not worth rushing out for. The real standout is the morning of Saturday the 25th of July for the best mix of size, energy, and clean-ish conditions. Monday the 20th of July morning is your next decent option for clean, offshore waves, even if it’s on the smaller side.

Rusty, out.

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