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Madeira Beach
Calheta, the nearest town, 5 km away. Photo: Don Amaro from Madeira Islands, Portugal, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Ponta Pequina

Surf spot · Portugal

Is it worth the trip?

16Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 6 ft swell at 7 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 16 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 shollow
Energy
125kJ
Wind
SW 1 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 11 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 shollow
Energy
78kJ
Wind
ESE 2 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 14 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 shollow
Energy
158kJ
Wind
SE 9 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 9 out of 100

Swell
3 ft4 shollow
Energy
40kJ
Wind
SSE 11 kn
Temp
21°C

Sat 7 · 6 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 shollow
Energy
51kJ
Wind
S 10 kn
Temp
21°C

Sun 8 · 23 out of 100

Swell
6 ft7 shollow
Energy
333kJ
Wind
SW 8 kn
Temp
21°C

Mon 9 · 20 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 smushy
Energy
885kJ
Wind
WSW 16 kn
Temp
20°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 237, too small
  2. Tue 316, too small
  3. Wed 411, too small
  4. Thu 514, too small
  5. Fri 69, too small
  6. Sat 76, too small
  7. Sun 823, poor
  8. Mon 920, poor
  9. Tue 1046, fair

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–12 ftof swell
  • Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Jul–Aug2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Ponta Pequina, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov37, too small5 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)458kJwind from the south-east, 4 knots21°C
Tue 3Nov16, too small3 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)125kJwind from the south-west, 1 knot21°C
Wed 4Nov11, too small2 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.)78kJwind from the east-south-east, 2 knots20°C
Thu 5Nov14, too small3 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.)158kJwind from the south-east, 9 knots21°C
Fri 6Nov9, too small3 ft4 shollow4 ft at break (est.)40kJwind from the south-south-east, 11 knots21°C
Sat 7Nov6, too small3 ft5 shollow4 ft at break (est.)51kJwind from the south, 10 knots21°C
Sun 8Nov23, poor6 ft7 shollow7 ft at break (est.)333kJwind from the south-west, 8 knots21°C
Mon 9Nov20, poor8 ft9 smushy8 ft at break (est.)885kJwind from the west-south-west, 16 knots20°C
Tue 10Nov46, fair10 ft8 shollow6 ft at break (est.)1,284kJwind from the north, 10 knots20°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.

Map

the spot and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Ponta Pequina

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SW (232°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (52°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–12 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, 4.8 km away (about 10 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to FNC, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$435–US$911
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$100–US$174
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$181–US$301
Food7 days eating outabout US$201–US$375
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$94–US$154
Totalabout 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

Closest

Jardim do Mar

2 min by car · 26 places to stay

about US$67/nightcountry average

See 26 places to stay in Jardim do Mar · Booking.com

About Jardim do Mar its beds, food and every spot near it

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

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.