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Populo
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
16Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: too small (5 ft swell at 10 s), 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 115kJ
- Wind
- NNE 7 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 121kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 53kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 48kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 51kJ
- Wind
- W 25 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 239kJ
- Wind
- NNW 21 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 233, too small
- Tue 320, too small
- Wed 411, too small
- Thu 54, too small
- Fri 67, too small
- Sat 74, too small
- Sun 84, too small
- Mon 923, too small
- Tue 1014, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 6–20 ftof swell
- Water 20 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 33, too small | 5 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 195kJ | wind from the north-east, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 20, too small | 3 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 115kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 11, too small | 3 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 121kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 4, too small | 2 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 4, too small | 2 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | wind from the south, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 4, too small | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 51kJ | wind from the west, 25 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 23, too small | 5 ft8 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 239kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 21 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 14, too small | 3 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 18 knots, offshore | 17°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 00:37 −0.3 mHigh 07:08 +0.5 mLow 13:49 −0.4 mHigh 20:02 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:05 −0.3 mHigh 08:28 +0.5 mLow 15:06 −0.5 mHigh 21:18 +0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:19 −0.4 mHigh 09:36 +0.6 mLow 16:07 −0.5 mHigh 22:16 +0.5 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
Populo on Google Maps · Directions
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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Photos of Populo
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More surf near here
5 places
- Rabo de Peixe 7.4 km away
- Praia Santana 8.8 km away
- Areias 9.7 km away
- Praia Santa Barbara (Ribeira Grande) 10 km away
- Santa Iria 15.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Populo
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (182°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (2°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 6–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 26). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 17°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Ponta Delgada, 4.6 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot and 3 dive sites.
Water about 20°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$878–US$1,660 each
about US$878–US$1,660 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 PDL, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$382–US$797 |
| 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$878–US$1,660 |
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 10 min by car · 164 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Ponta Delgada its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Capelas on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 13 places to stay
- Beds in Ribeira Grande on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 31 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 14h 45m
About 14h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → PDL, changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), then 25 min by road
Flights ORD → PDL on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.