.jpg){kind=link}
Faial
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
22Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 10 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 314kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 60kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 137kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 133kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 44kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- SSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- S 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 144, too small
- Mon 233, too small
- Tue 314, too small
- Wed 425, too small
- Thu 528, too small
- Fri 614, too small
- Sat 78, too small
- Sun 88, too small
- Mon 923, too small
- Tue 108, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 44, too small | 5 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 582kJ | wind from the south, 9 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 33, too small | 4 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 314kJ | offshorewind from the south, 2 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 25, too small | 4 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 137kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 28, too small | 4 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 133kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft7 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 5 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft9 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | offshorewind from the south, 5 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 23, too small | 4 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 139kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 8, too small | 3 ft6 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 55kJ | wind from the north-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 NovHigh 06:15 +0.8 mLow 12:46 −0.7 mHigh 19:07 +0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:06 −0.5 mHigh 07:36 +0.7 mLow 14:14 −0.7 mHigh 20:33 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:35 −0.5 mHigh 08:57 +0.8 mLow 15:33 −0.7 mHigh 21:48 +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, its town, photos
Faial 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 Faial
.jpg){kind=link}
Live webcam
press to load it
Live webcam
LIVE CAM PRAIA DA ALAGOA BEACH PORTO DA CRUZ, 2 km away
LIVE CAM PORTO DA CRUZ SWIMMING POOLS, 2 km away
Webcams belong to their owners. Nothing from the webcam's site loads until you press the button.
More surf near here
5 places
- Porto da cruz 2.4 km away
- Machico 10.9 km away
- Ponta Delgada 13 km away
- Cais do funchal 16 km away
- Faja da Areia 16.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Faial
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (37°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (217°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 9). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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 Faial, 0.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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$938–US$1,790 each
about US$938–US$1,790 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 FNC, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$435–US$911 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| 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$938–US$1,790 |
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
1 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Faial its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Porto da Cruz on Booking.com
4 min by car · 6 places to stay
- Beds in Machico on Booking.com
18 min by car · 15 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 17h 35m
About 17h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FNC, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 30 min by road
Flights ORD → FNC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.