.jpg){kind=link}
Cresmina
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
25Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 5 ft swell at 10 s
Mon 2 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 479kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 112kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 103kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 153kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 96kJ
- Wind
- E 8 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 28kJ
- Wind
- SSE 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 38kJ
- Wind
- SE 13 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 180, good
- Mon 250, fair
- Tue 317, too small
- Wed 418, too small
- Thu 525, too small
- Fri 620, too small
- Sat 77, too small
- Sun 811, too small
- Mon 942, too small
- Tue 1050, fair
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 in Jan2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 80, good | 7 ft10 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 737kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 50, fair | 5 ft10 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 479kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 17, too small | 3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 112kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 153kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 20, too small | 3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 96kJ | offshorewind from the east, 8 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 28kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 11, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 38kJ | wind from the south-east, 13 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 42, too small | 6 ft6 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 216kJ | wind from the south, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 50, fair | 6 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 429kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 9 knots | 18°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 00:19 −0.9 mHigh 06:48 +1.0 mLow 13:16 −0.9 mHigh 19:39 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:37 −0.7 mHigh 08:08 +0.9 mLow 14:41 −0.9 mHigh 21:04 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:04 −0.7 mHigh 09:29 +1.0 mLow 16:02 −1.0 mHigh 22:19 +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 in 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
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 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
- Dec1of 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, its town, photos
Cresmina 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.
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 Cresmina
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cresmina
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (272°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (92°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 21). 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 month is usually January, with about 2 good days in 7; in July and August, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Cascais, 5.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 1 climbing area.
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$985–US$1,860 each
about US$985–US$1,860 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 LIS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$449–US$938 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$60–US$94 |
| 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$985–US$1,860 |
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
10 min by car · 90 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Cascais its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Parede on Booking.com
19 min by car · 27 places to stay
- Beds in Sintra on Booking.com
21 min by car · 98 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 13h 20m
About 13h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 45 min by road
Flights ORD → LIS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.