Porto Covo
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
19Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 5 ft swell at 10 s
Mon 2 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 359kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 29kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 89kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 84kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 82kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 s
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 36kJ
- Wind
- SE 11 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 153, fair
- Mon 240, too small
- Tue 35, too small
- Wed 415, too small
- Thu 518, too small
- Fri 617, too small
- Sat 74, too small
- Sun 87, too small
- Mon 912, too small
- Tue 1019, poor
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
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 53, fair | 6 ft10 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 577kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 40, too small | 5 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 359kJ | offshorewind from the east, 4 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft15 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 29kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | offshorewind from the east, 4 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 82kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft12 s1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft9 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 36kJ | wind from the south-east, 11 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, too small | 5 ft6 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 214kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 15 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 19, poor | 7 ft7 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 536kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 17 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
- Sun 1 NovLow 00:12 −0.9 mHigh 06:41 +1.0 mLow 13:09 −0.9 mHigh 19:32 +0.7 m
- 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
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 Mon 2 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 experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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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
1 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
25 min by car · 64 places to stay
- Beds in Almograve on Booking.com
39 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 · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.