Playa do Carreiro Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s look at this stretch for Playa do Carreiro. It’s a river mouth setup, exposed to the swell, but we’re looking at a pretty flat and underwhelming run for a while. The water is sitting at 62°F, which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll want a good wetsuit.

The first few days are a total write-off. The swell is tiny, with combined energy barely cracking 50 (43) on Sunday the 5th, and it just doesn't have any push. Monday the 6th offers a glimmer with a glassy morning and a 1ft swell from the WNW, but the waves are ordinary. It’s ridable, but don’t get your hopes up. This limp, small-wave pattern drags on through the entire first week. The winds are mostly light, giving us clean conditions on some mornings, like Tuesday the 7th and Wednesday the 8th, but the swell is just too weak (20-96 energy) to do anything with. There’s a solid 7-day gap here with no real recommendations.

Things start to show a pulse around the 11th of July. Saturday morning is glassy with a 3ft swell from the NNW, but the period is short, only 7 seconds, and the energy jumps to 145. It’s still ordinary though. The real energy shows up on the 14th of July, Tuesday morning. We get a 2ft swell from the WNW with a 10-second period and a combined energy of 205. The wind is a clean cross-off from the NNW, and the forecast is calling for *expect good surf conditions*. This is the first true standout in the window. It’s small but clean, and for a river mouth, that longer period should help shape up a little. The water is still cold, but this is your best bet for a fun, unexciting session.

After that, the swell gets a bit bigger but the winds get messy. The 18th of July, Saturday, sees a 6ft swell from the NW with a combined energy of 707-728, but the wind is onshore, creating chop. The break is a river mouth, so those big numbers are there, but the quality is marginal. For expert surfers, the 19th of July, Sunday morning, is worth a look: glassy conditions, 5ft from the NNW, and a score that says *expect good surf conditions*. But the period is short at 7 seconds, so it won’t be the best shape. The 17th of July, Friday afternoon, has a 5ft swell from the NNW with a massive energy of 376, but the period is a pitiful 6 seconds, making it a messy, choppy option.

For the absolute best on offer, I’m looking at Tuesday morning, the 14th of July. It’s the most balanced day: clean wind, a long enough period, and good surf conditions noted. The 19th of July Sunday morning is the runner-up for the glassy conditions and the bigger size, but the short period is a real letdown.

All in all, it’s a slow start, a promising but small window mid-month, and then some bigger, messier swell at the end. For a river mouth, you’ll want to pick your tides. The 14th is your day.

Rusty.

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