Cabo Girão
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
16Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: too small (3 ft swell at 5 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- S 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- SSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 101kJ
- Wind
- NNE 0 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- W 1 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 sslab
- Energy
- 160kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 127kJ
- Wind
- W 16 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 242, too small
- Tue 314, too small
- Wed 410, too small
- Thu 515, too small
- Fri 625, too small
- Sat 717, too small
- Sun 810, poor
- Mon 910, too small
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–18 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Cabo Girão does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 42, too small | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 290kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the south, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 101kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 0 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the west, 1 knot | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 17, too small | 3 ft5 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, poor | 5 ft6 sslab5 ft at break (est.) | 160kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 10, too small | 3 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 127kJ | wind from the west, 16 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 11 ft9 sslabunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1,818kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 19°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:58 −0.5 mHigh 07:29 +0.7 mLow 14:08 −0.6 mHigh 20:28 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:28 −0.5 mHigh 08:51 +0.7 mLow 15:28 −0.7 mHigh 21:43 +0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:45 −0.6 mHigh 10:00 +0.8 mLow 16:30 −0.8 mHigh 22:41 +0.7 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Cabo Girão on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Live webcam
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Live webcam
CÂMARA DE LOBOS CRUZ DA CALDEIRA LIVE CAM, 1 km away
In Funchal, the nearest town, 9 km away
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More surf near here
5 places
- Fajã dos Padres 1.9 km away
- Pizo 3.5 km away
- Praia Formosa 5.2 km away
- Lugar de baixo 8.1 km away
- Cais do funchal 9.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cabo Girão
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (192°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (12°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 4–18 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 1). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 19°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Funchal, 9 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 climbing area.
Water about 22°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$945–US$1,800 each
about US$945–US$1,800 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to FNC, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$435–US$911 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$33–US$54 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$181–US$301 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$375 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$94–US$154 |
| Total | about US$945–US$1,800 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
about 10 min by car · 23 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Ribeira Brava its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Lugar de Baixo on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 22 places to stay
- Beds in Funchal on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 175 places to stay
About US$67 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 17h 35m
About 17h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FNC, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → FNC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.