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Faja da Areia
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
51Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 8 s
Tue 3 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 113kJ
- Wind
- N 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 163kJ
- Wind
- N 1 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 143kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 57kJ
- Wind
- SSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 38kJ
- Wind
- S 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 175kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 890kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 281, good
- Tue 355, fair
- Wed 470, good
- Thu 565, good
- Fri 629, too small
- Sat 718, too small
- Sun 849, fair
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 110, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Jun–Jul3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Faja da Areia does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 81, good | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 354kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft7 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 113kJ | wind from the north, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 70, good | 4 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 163kJ | wind from the north, 1 knot | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 65, good | 4 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 143kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 5 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 38kJ | offshorewind from the south, 5 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 49, fair | 4 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 175kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 7 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 890kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft9 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 1,208kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, too big | 10 ft10 shollow12 ft at break (est.) | 1,786kJ | wind from the west, 5 knots | 15°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 NovLow 01:05 −0.5 mHigh 07:35 +0.7 mLow 14:14 −0.7 mHigh 20:33 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:34 −0.5 mHigh 08:56 +0.8 mLow 15:33 −0.7 mHigh 21:47 +0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:51 −0.6 mHigh 10:05 +0.8 mLow 16:35 −0.8 mHigh 22:46 +0.7 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 Jun–Jul
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 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
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 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 Tue 3 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 and its town
Faja da Areia 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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More surf near here
5 places
- São Vicente 2.5 km away
- Ponta Delgada 4.1 km away
- Contreira 11 km away
- Ribeira da Janela 12.5 km away
- Porto Moniz 14.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Faja da Areia
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (358°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (178°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 10). 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). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually June and July, with about 3 good days in 7; in February and March, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is São Vicente, 2.3 km away (about 5 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$973–US$1,850 each
about US$973–US$1,850 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 2 November 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$436–US$913 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$60–US$101 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$181–US$302 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$376 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$94–US$154 |
| Total | about US$973–US$1,850 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 20 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About São Vicente its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Ribeira da Janela on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 1 place to stay
- Beds in Porto Moniz on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 16 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 17h 50m
About 17h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FNC, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 50 min by road
Flights ORD → FNC on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.