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Contreira
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
62Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 11 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 332kJ
- Wind
- NW 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 74kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 156kJ
- Wind
- NW 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 146kJ
- Wind
- S 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- SSW 14 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- S 12 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 151kJ
- Wind
- SSW 18 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 116, poor
- Mon 278, good
- Tue 345, fair
- Wed 466, good
- Thu 575, good
- Fri 638, too small
- Sat 728, poor
- Sun 858, fair
- Mon 913, poor
- Tue 1065, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Contreira 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 | 16, poor | 6 ft10 sslab5 ft at break (est.) | 601kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 78, good | 4 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 332kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 66, good | 4 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 156kJ | wind from the north-west, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 75, good | 4 ft7 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 146kJ | offshorewind from the south, 5 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft7 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 14 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 28, poor | 3 ft5 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | offshorewind from the south, 12 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 58, fair | 4 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 151kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 18 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 13, poor | 6 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 319kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 16 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 65, good | 4 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 140kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 12 knots, offshore | 20°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 NovHigh 06:12 +0.8 mLow 12:44 −0.7 mHigh 19:04 +0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:03 −0.5 mHigh 07:33 +0.7 mLow 14:12 −0.7 mHigh 20:31 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:31 −0.5 mHigh 08:54 +0.8 mLow 15:31 −0.7 mHigh 21:45 +0.6 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
- 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
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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
Contreira 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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PORTO MONIZ NATURAL POOLS WEBCAM, 4 km away
Porto Moniz Cam, Madeira, 4 km away
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More surf near here
5 places
- Ribeira da Janela 1.5 km away
- Porto Moniz 3.7 km away
- Achadas da Cruz 7.2 km away
- São Vicente 10.4 km away
- Faja da Areia 11 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Contreira
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (32°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (212°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 4). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 18°C in March, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Porto Moniz, 3.7 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
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$1,010–US$1,920 each
about US$1,010–US$1,920 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 FNC, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$435–US$911 |
| 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$1,010–US$1,920 |
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
3 min by car · 1 place to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Ribeira da Janela its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Porto Moniz on Booking.com
7 min by car · 16 places to stay
- Beds in São Vicente on Booking.com
17 min by car · 20 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 18h 05m
About 18h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FNC, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 1h by road
Flights ORD → FNC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.