Staying Home Sucks, home
20110906 P1080138 Faro Cabo Mondego
cabo mondego. Photo: Elisardojm, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

cabo mondego

Surf spot · Portugal

Is it worth the trip?

45Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 10 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 29 out of 100

Swell
2 ft8 shollow
Energy
45kJ
Wind
E 15 kn
Temp
18°C

Wed 4 · 42 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
101kJ
Wind
NE 5 kn
Temp
16°C

Thu 5 · 68 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 shollow
Energy
161kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
13°C

Fri 6 · 40 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 shollow
Energy
93kJ
Wind
SE 8 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 54 out of 100

Swell
4 ft5 smushy
Energy
73kJ
Wind
SSW 6 kn
Temp
18°C

Sun 8 · 37 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 smushy
Energy
71kJ
Wind
SSE 15 kn
Temp
19°C

Mon 9 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft7 smushy
Energy
383kJ
Wind
S 18 kn
Temp
18°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 270, good
  2. Tue 329, too small
  3. Wed 442, too small
  4. Thu 568, good
  5. Fri 640, too small
  6. Sat 754, fair
  7. Sun 837, poor
  8. Mon 90, too big
  9. Tue 100, too big

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
  • Best in Jan2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

cabo mondego does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at cabo mondego, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov70, good4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.)274kJwind from the north, 7 knots19°C
Tue 3Nov29, too small2 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.)45kJwind from the east, 15 knots, offshore18°C
Wed 4Nov42, too small2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.)101kJwind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore16°C
Thu 5Nov68, good3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.)161kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore13°C
Fri 6Nov40, too small3 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.)93kJwind from the south-east, 8 knots17°C
Sat 7Nov54, fair4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)73kJwind from the south-south-west, 6 knots18°C
Sun 8Nov37, poor3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)71kJwind from the south-south-east, 15 knots19°C
Mon 9Nov0, too big6 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.)383kJwind from the south, 18 knots18°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big10 ft8 scrumbling11 ft at break (est.)1,190kJwind from the south-south-east, 10 knots17°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 01:49 −0.8 mHigh 08:18 +1.0 mLow 14:51 −0.9 mHigh 21:14 +0.7 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 03:15 −0.8 mHigh 09:40 +1.0 mLow 16:11 −1.0 mHigh 22:30 +0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 04:32 −0.8 mHigh 10:51 +1.1 mLow 17:17 −1.1 mHigh 23:31 +1.0 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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

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.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of cabo mondego

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About cabo mondego

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces W (254°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (74°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 15). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 14°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in June, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Figueira da Foz, 5.5 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots.

Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$1,030–US$1,940 each

about US$1,030–US$1,940 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to LIS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$449–US$938
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$100–US$174
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$181–US$301
Food7 days eating outabout US$201–US$375
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$94–US$154
Totalabout US$1,030–US$1,940

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

Closest

Buarcos

about 5 min by car · 53 places to stay

about US$67/nightcountry average

See 53 places to stay in Buarcos · Booking.com

About Buarcos its beds, food and every spot near it

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 15h 30m

About 15h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 3h by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.