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Paul do Mar
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
31Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 125kJ
- Wind
- SW 1 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 97kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 134kJ
- Wind
- SE 9 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- SSE 11 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- S 10 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 247kJ
- Wind
- S 17 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Mon 9 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 533kJ
- Wind
- WSW 17 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 267, good
- Tue 342, too small
- Wed 434, poor
- Thu 543, poor
- Fri 630, poor
- Sat 717, poor
- Sun 87, poor
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Jul–Aug2 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 | 67, good | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 337kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 42, too small | 3 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 125kJ | wind from the south-west, 1 knot | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 34, poor | 3 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 97kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 43, poor | 3 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 134kJ | wind from the south-east, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 30, poor | 3 ft4 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 11 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 17, poor | 3 ft5 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the south, 10 knots | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 7, poor | 6 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 247kJ | wind from the south, 17 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 533kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 17 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 13 ft9 shollow10 ft at break (est.) | 2,209kJ | wind from the north-west, 15 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:01 −0.5 mHigh 07:32 +0.7 mLow 14:11 −0.6 mHigh 20:30 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:30 −0.5 mHigh 08:53 +0.7 mLow 15:30 −0.7 mHigh 21:45 +0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:47 −0.6 mHigh 10:02 +0.8 mLow 16:32 −0.8 mHigh 22:43 +0.7 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 Jul–Aug
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 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
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Paul do Mar 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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Live webcam
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Live webcam
LIVE CAM PAUL DO MAR, 1 km away
In Calheta, the nearest town, 6 km away
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More surf near here
5 places
- Ponta Pequina 1.7 km away
- Jardim do mar 2.9 km away
- Ponta do Pargo 6.9 km away
- Achadas da Cruz 8.4 km away
- Madalena do mar 11 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Paul do Mar
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (234°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (54°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 7). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 19°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually July and August, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Calheta, 6.4 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf 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$1,010–US$1,920 each
about US$1,010–US$1,920 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 FNC, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$435–US$911 |
| 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$1,010–US$1,920 |
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
about 5 min by car · 26 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Jardim do Mar its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Calheta on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 29 places to stay
- Beds in Madalena do Mar on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 18 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 18h 05m
About 18h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FNC, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 1h 05m by road
Flights ORD → FNC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.