Conditions at Carcavelos in April
April: Quality Drops but the Surface Cleans Up
April is the first month where the swell begins to lose its winter muscle. Average height slips to 1.9m (6ft) and period comes down to 11.1 seconds. Directionally, the Waverose is now heavily weighted toward NW (31.3%), WNW (24.5%) and NNW (13.9%), while the ideal S/SSW/SW/WSW sector is still scarce at around 4.1%. This means Carcavelos is increasingly a windswell-influenced beach break; the long-period W and WSW swells that make it a winter gem become less frequent. That said, 11-second periods still produce rideable, punchy waves, especially on the W peaks.
The wind story is the big change. NNW takes over with 30.7%, and NW adds 12.2%, so the surface often has a cross-offshore texture rather than clean offshore. Overall ideal conditions sit at 43%. Water temperature warms to 15.7°C and air temps average 15.1°C, with 1.78 mm/day of rain. Mornings remain the reliable window for groomed conditions before the sea breeze kicks up.
Average Spot conditions at Carcavelos in April
Swell history for April
Wind history for April
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Carcavelos during April. Based on historical data, there is a % probability of groundswell occurring this month. The chart below provides a detailed breakdown of the average wave height distribution, offering deep insights into the swell quality and surf potential you can expect at Carcavelos for your next trip in April.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Carcavelos for April. Our analysis shows that favorable offshore or side-shore winds coincide with surfable swell approximately % of the time. The accompanying graph illustrates the average size distribution of waves during these optimal wind windows at Carcavelos.