Porto Covo
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
36Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 104kJ
- Wind
- NNE 1 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 104kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 140kJ
- Wind
- NW 6 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 88kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 21kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Mon 9 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 367kJ
- Wind
- S 17 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 264, good
- Tue 329, too small
- Wed 440, too small
- Thu 545, fair
- Fri 643, too small
- Sat 732, too small
- Sun 830, too small
- Mon 90, too big
- 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 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Sep, Nov–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 | 64, good | 5 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 410kJ | offshorewind from the east, 4 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 29, too small | 3 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 104kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 1 knot | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 40, too small | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 104kJ | offshorewind from the east, 5 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 140kJ | wind from the north-west, 6 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 43, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 21kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 10 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 367kJ | wind from the south, 17 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 11 ft9 smushy13 ft at break (est.) | 1,709kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 15 knots | 18°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 01:29 −0.7 mHigh 08:01 +0.9 mLow 14:35 −0.9 mHigh 20:57 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:57 −0.7 mHigh 09:22 +1.0 mLow 15:56 −1.0 mHigh 22:13 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:16 −0.8 mHigh 10:33 +1.1 mLow 17:02 −1.1 mHigh 23:14 +0.9 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 Sep, Nov–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
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Porto Covo 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.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More surf near here
5 places
- Baia 0.3 km away
- Praia da Vieirinha 4.8 km away
- Aivados 5.2 km away
- Sanguessuga 6 km away
- Malhão 7.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Porto Covo
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (257°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (77°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 18). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, September, November and December, with about 2 good days in 7; in July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Porto Covo, 0.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 18°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
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 · 25 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Porto Covo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Vila Nova de Milfontes on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 64 places to stay
- Beds in Almograve on Booking.com
about 40 min by car · 5 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 40m
About 14h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 2h 10m by road
Flights ORD → LIS on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.