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Cadjau
Surf spot · Cabo Verde
Is it worth the trip?
15Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: too small (3 ft swell at 9 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 184kJ
- Wind
- NE 9 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 87kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 70kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- NE 14 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 23kJ
- Wind
- NE 16 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- ENE 14 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 226, too small
- Tue 325, too small
- Wed 417, too small
- Thu 516, too small
- Fri 612, too small
- Sat 78, too small
- Sun 86, too small
- Mon 98, too small
- Tue 1011, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 27 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 26, too small | 3 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 257kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 184kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 87kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 70kJ | offshorewind from the east, 7 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 12, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 14 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft9 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 23kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 16 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 14 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 13 knots, offshore | 28°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 NovHigh 00:00 +0.4 mLow 06:40 −0.3 mHigh 12:58 +0.2 mLow 18:40 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:22 +0.4 mLow 07:59 −0.3 mHigh 14:23 +0.2 mLow 20:03 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 02:41 +0.4 mLow 09:10 −0.4 mHigh 15:32 +0.3 mLow 21:17 −0.3 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 and its town
Cadjau on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cadjau
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (259°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (79°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 5). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 23°C in February, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 28°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Tarrafal, 1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 dive sites.
Water about 27°C: no 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$985–US$1,870 each
about US$985–US$1,870 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to RAI, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$469–US$978 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$80–US$134 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$167–US$275 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$181–US$342 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$985–US$1,870 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Tarrafal
2 min by car · 14 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Tarrafal its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$60 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 20h 50m
About 20h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → RAI, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 1h 10m by road
Flights ORD → RAI on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.