Martinhal
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
14Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: too small (4 ft swell at 10 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 338kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- NNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- W 7 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 108kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 80kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- SE 7 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- ESE 13 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 131, too small
- Mon 233, too small
- Tue 34, too small
- Wed 413, too small
- Thu 514, too small
- Fri 67, too small
- Sat 72, too small
- Sun 82, too small
- Mon 98, too small
- Tue 1017, 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 19 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Martinhal does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 31, too small | 6 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 567kJ | wind from the east, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 33, too small | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 338kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft15 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 9 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 13, too small | 2 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | offshorewind from the west, 7 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 108kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the south-east, 7 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 2, too small | 1 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 13 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 8, too small | 6 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 248kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 16 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 17, too small | 6 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 270kJ | wind from the south, 12 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 00:04 −0.8 mHigh 06:35 +1.0 mLow 13:01 −0.9 mHigh 19:26 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:22 −0.7 mHigh 07:55 +1.0 mLow 14:28 −0.9 mHigh 20:51 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:50 −0.7 mHigh 09:16 +1.0 mLow 15:49 −1.0 mHigh 22:06 +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.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Martinhal 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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Photos of Martinhal
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Martinhal
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (131°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (311°). 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 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 16°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 20°C in September, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Sagres, 1.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 wind sports 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$1,030–US$1,940 each
about US$1,030–US$1,940 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 LIS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$449–US$938 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| 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$1,030–US$1,940 |
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
3 min by car · 37 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Sagres its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Vila do Bispo on Booking.com
14 min by car · 5 places to stay
- Beds in Burgau on Booking.com
26 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 35m
About 16h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 4h 05m by road
Flights ORD → LIS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.