Machico
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
8Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 5 ft swell at 7 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 9kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- S 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 38kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- SSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 45kJ
- Wind
- SSW 11 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 273kJ
- Wind
- SSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 110, too small
- Mon 27, too small
- Tue 34, too small
- Wed 46, too small
- Thu 56, too small
- Fri 65, too small
- Sat 74, too small
- Sun 818, too small
- Mon 926, too small
- Tue 1027, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Machico does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 10, too small | 3 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 155kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 9kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the south, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 38kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 5, too small | 3 ft5 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 4, too small | 3 ft5 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 45kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 11 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 18, too small | 5 ft7 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 273kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 26, too small | 5 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 271kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 27, too small | 4 ft6 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 114kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 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 06:08 +0.7 mLow 12:39 −0.6 mHigh 19:01 +0.5 m
- 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 21:42 +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.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Machico 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 Machico
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More surf near here
4 places
- Porto da cruz 8.5 km away
- Faial 10.9 km away
- Cais do funchal 15.4 km away
- Praia Formosa 19.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Machico
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (129°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (309°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 11). 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 Machico, 0.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 wind sports 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$931–US$1,780 each
about US$931–US$1,780 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$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$931–US$1,780 |
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 · 15 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Machico its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Porto da Cruz on Booking.com
15 min by car · 6 places to stay
- Beds in Faial on Booking.com
20 min by car · 5 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 25m
About 17h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FNC, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 25 min by road
Flights ORD → FNC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.