Playa do Carreiro Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer at Playa do Carreiro over the next couple of weeks.

It’s a bit of a mixed bag, to be honest. There’s a nice little window of clean surf coming up, but we’ve got a long patch of poor conditions to sit through after that. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so nothing unusual there.

The standout session is definitely Wednesday morning, the 12th of August. We’ve got a clean 3ft west swell rolling in with a period of 10 seconds and glassy conditions – that’s as good as it gets. The wind is light from the WNW at 3 mph, which is basically nothing. The combined energy is moderate at 224, and the river mouth setup here at Playa do Carreiro should handle that west swell nicely. Waves will be clean and well-shaped. Expect crowds sometimes, but with conditions this good, it’ll be worth sharing the peak.

Thursday morning, the 13th, is a bit of a letdown. The swell is still around 4ft from the west with a 10-second period, but the wind has swung to the northwest creating a cross-shore chop. It’s surfable, but not the same quality. The energy is still moderate at 267, but messy.

Friday morning, the 14th, brings a drop in size to 3ft from the WNW with a 9-second period. The wind is light from the north, giving us clean cross-offshore conditions. The energy is weak at 116, but it’s a clean little wave for a longboard or a fun board. Don’t expect any power.

Now, from Saturday the 15th onward, things take a turn. The swell picks up, but the wind gets nasty. Saturday morning has 6ft from the NW with a short 8-second period, and the wind is howling from the north at 16 mph. The energy is strong at 403, but it’s blown out. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session. By Saturday afternoon, it’s 8ft and 25 mph winds – that’s for experts only, and even then, it’s a mess.

Sunday the 16th is the only other bright spot. The morning has 5ft from the NNW with a 7-second period, but the wind is light from the NNE at 6 mph, giving us clean conditions. The energy is moderate at 284. It’s a short-period swell, so the waves will be a bit dumpy, but clean. After that, the wind cranks up again and it’s back to poor conditions.

For the rest of the second week, from the 17th through the 27th, it’s a long stretch of junk. The wind is consistently strong from the north or NNW, and the swell is either too small or too short-period. There’s a few mornings with clean conditions, like the 19th and 25th, but the swell is tiny and weak. The 21st has a 6ft swell with a long 11-second period, but the wind is 25 mph – completely unsurfable. The long period would be nice on a point break, but with that wind, it’s a write-off.

So, to sum it up: hit Wednesday morning, the 12th, for the best waves. Sunday morning, the 16th, is a decent second option if you’re desperate for a clean session. The rest is a write-off until the very end of the month, and even then, it’s marginal.

Rusty.

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