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Mindelo
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
39Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 60kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 112kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Thu 5 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 119kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 42kJ
- Wind
- S 11 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 81kJ
- Wind
- SSE 16 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 322kJ
- Wind
- S 22 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 277, good
- Tue 325, too small
- Wed 442, too small
- Thu 553, fair
- Fri 644, too small
- Sat 730, too small
- Sun 835, poor
- Mon 95, poor
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best in Jan2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 77, good | 4 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 216kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 25, too small | 1 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 42, too small | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 112kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 8 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 119kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 44, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 30, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the south, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 35, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 16 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 5, poor | 6 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 322kJ | wind from the south, 22 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 750kJ | wind from the south, 14 knots | 16°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 01:57 −0.8 mHigh 08:26 +1.0 mLow 14:59 −0.9 mHigh 21:22 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:22 −0.8 mHigh 09:47 +1.0 mLow 16:18 −1.0 mHigh 22:38 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:40 −0.9 mHigh 10:59 +1.1 mLow 17:24 −1.1 mHigh 23:39 +1.0 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
best in Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 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
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 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 Tue 3 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
Mindelo 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Mindelo
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More surf near here
5 places
- Pinhal 0.4 km away
- Azurara 3.5 km away
- Rock 5.4 km away
- praia do rock 5.5 km away
- Funtão 5.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Mindelo
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (256°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (76°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 31). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 14°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 17°C in June, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 2 good days in 7; in July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Mindelo Porto, 1.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 1 kayak spot.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$945–US$1,790 each
about US$945–US$1,790 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 OPO, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$449–US$925 |
| 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$945–US$1,790 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 1 place to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Mindelo Porto its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Azurara on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 33 places to stay
- Beds in Vila do Conde on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 32 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 → OPO, changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), then 30 min by road
Flights ORD → OPO on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.