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Canal
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
48Fair out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 377kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tue 3 · 64 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 134kJ
- Wind
- NNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 84kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 129kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 100kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- SE 10 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- SE 16 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too big
- Mon 264, good
- Tue 364, good
- Wed 435, too small
- Thu 546, fair
- Fri 648, fair
- Sat 711, too small
- Sun 816, too small
- Mon 933, poor
- Tue 109, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Sep–Oct, Dec–Jan2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Canal does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft10 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 687kJ | wind from the south-east, 9 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 64, good | 5 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 377kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 64, good | 3 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 134kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | wind from the north-west, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 100kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the south-east, 10 knots | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 16 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 33, poor | 5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 228kJ | wind from the south, 14 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 9, poor | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 163kJ | wind from the west, 13 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
- Sun 1 NovLow 00:09 −0.9 mHigh 06:38 +1.0 mLow 13:05 −0.9 mHigh 19:29 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:26 −0.7 mHigh 07:58 +0.9 mLow 14:31 −0.9 mHigh 20:54 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:53 −0.7 mHigh 09:19 +1.0 mLow 15:52 −1.0 mHigh 22:09 +0.8 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
best Sep–Oct, Dec–Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 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
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Canal 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.
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.
More surf near here
5 places
- Vale Figueira 1.6 km away
- Figueiros 2.2 km away
- Arrifana 2.9 km away
- Lage do Pescador 6.3 km away
- Monte Clerigo 8.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Canal
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (275°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (95°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 14). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in September, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, September, October and December, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Aljezur, 7.4 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 18°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$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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to LIS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$449–US$938 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| 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$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
13 min by car · 19 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Aljezur its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Bordeira on Booking.com
14 min by car · 2 places to stay
- Beds in Carrapateira on Booking.com
17 min by car · 12 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 16h 15m
About 16h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 3h 40m by road
Flights ORD → LIS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.