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Fajã dos Padres
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
16Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 8 ft swell at 7 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- SSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 101kJ
- Wind
- NNE 0 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- W 1 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 460kJ
- Wind
- W 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 38kJ
- Wind
- WNW 16 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 227, too small
- Tue 37, too small
- Wed 47, too small
- Thu 510, too small
- Fri 617, too small
- Sat 712, too small
- Sun 838, poor
- Mon 94, too small
- Tue 1066, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 6–20 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Fajã dos Padres does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 27, too small | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 290kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 101kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 0 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 17, too small | 3 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the west, 1 knot | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 12, too small | 3 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 38, poor | 8 ft7 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 460kJ | wind from the west, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 4, too small | 2 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 38kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 16 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 66, good | 9 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 966kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:58 −0.5 mHigh 07:29 +0.7 mLow 14:08 −0.6 mHigh 20:28 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:28 −0.5 mHigh 08:51 +0.7 mLow 15:28 −0.7 mHigh 21:43 +0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:45 −0.6 mHigh 10:00 +0.8 mLow 16:30 −0.8 mHigh 22:41 +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.
Map
the spot and its town
Fajã dos Padres 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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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
- Cabo Girão 1.9 km away
- Pizo 5.4 km away
- Lugar de baixo 6.4 km away
- Praia Formosa 7.1 km away
- Madalena do mar 11.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Fajã dos Padres
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (199°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (19°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 6–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 5). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 19°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Ribeira Brava, 4.1 km away (about 10 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$965–US$1,840 each
about US$965–US$1,840 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$54–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$965–US$1,840 |
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
about 10 min by car · 23 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Ribeira Brava its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Lugar de Baixo on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 22 places to stay
- Beds in Funchal on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 175 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 50m
About 17h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FNC, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 45 min by road
Flights ORD → FNC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.