Is it worth the trip?
10Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 1 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 24kJ
- Wind
- NNE 0 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tue 3 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft6 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- WNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- ESE 10 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 125, too small
- Mon 218, too small
- Tue 36, too small
- Wed 47, too small
- Thu 57, too small
- Fri 64, too small
- Sat 73, too small
- Sun 814, too small
- Mon 921, poor
- Tue 1013, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–6 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 23°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 18, too small | 1 ft9 ssoft1 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 0 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft6 s1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft10 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft10 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 4, too small | under 1 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft9 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 125kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 15 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 13, poor | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 174kJ | wind from the south-west, 16 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 00:02 −0.8 mHigh 06:33 +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 15:47 −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).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 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
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Ilha de Faro 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Julias 7.2 km away
- Vale do Lobo 8.7 km away
- Ilha Deserta 10.7 km away
- Ilha do farol 10.9 km away
- Praia do Farol - lado poente 11.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ilha de Faro
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (210°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (30°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 95). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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 Faro (Sé e São Pedro), 4.7 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 kayak spot.
Water about 19°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$958–US$1,820 each
about US$958–US$1,820 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$20–US$33 |
| 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$958–US$1,820 |
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 · 93 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Faro (Sé e São Pedro) its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Quinta do Lago on Booking.com
10 min by car · 30 places to stay
- Beds in Olhão on Booking.com
23 min by car · 63 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 25m
About 16h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FAO, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 20 min by road
Flights ORD → FAO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.