Ilha da culatra
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
9Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: too small (1 ft swell at 5 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft5 s
- Energy
- 5kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tue 3 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 s
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- WNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- S 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 s
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- ESE 11 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 124, too small
- Mon 213, too small
- Tue 38, too small
- Wed 410, too small
- Thu 56, too small
- Fri 67, too small
- Sat 73, too small
- Sun 89, too small
- Mon 918, poor
- Tue 1028, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 20 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft4 s3 ft at break (est.) | 19kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 23°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft5 s2 ft at break (est.) | 5kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 10, too small | 1 ft11 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 2 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft10 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the south, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft10 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 9, too small | 2 ft5 s2 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 18, poor | 4 ft7 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 117kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 28, poor | 4 ft7 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 188kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 11 knots | 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 NovLow 00:01 −0.8 mHigh 06:32 +1.0 mLow 12:59 −0.9 mHigh 19:25 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:20 −0.7 mHigh 07:53 +0.9 mLow 14:26 −0.9 mHigh 20:51 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:49 −0.7 mHigh 09:15 +1.0 mLow 15:48 −1.0 mHigh 22:05 +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
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 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
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 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
Ilha da culatra on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Ilha da culatra
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More surf near here
5 places
- Ilha do farol 3.3 km away
- Praia do Farol - lado poente 3.3 km away
- Ilha Deserta 4.5 km away
- Ilha da Fuzeta 9.8 km away
- Ilha de Faro 13.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ilha da culatra
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (145°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (325°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea is about 16°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Olhão, 4.3 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.
Water about 20°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 FAO, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$462–US$958 |
| 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$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
8 min by car · 63 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Olhão its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Faro (Sé e São Pedro) on Booking.com
17 min by car · 93 places to stay
- Beds in Fuseta on Booking.com
19 min by car · 30 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 16h 40m
About 16h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FAO, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → FAO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.