Praia da Arda
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
44Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 9 s
Mon 2 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 202kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tue 3 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Wed 4 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 61kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Thu 5 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 110kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Fri 6 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 37kJ
- Wind
- SE 7 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- SE 13 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 168, good
- Mon 267, good
- Tue 323, too small
- Wed 433, too small
- Thu 555, fair
- Fri 643, too small
- Sat 724, too small
- Sun 823, too small
- Mon 940, poor
- Tue 1054, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best in Sep2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 68, good | 5 ft9 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 346kJ | wind from the north-west, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 67, good | 4 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 202kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 14°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 110kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 14°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 43, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 3 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the south-east, 7 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, too small | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the south-east, 13 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 40, poor | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 159kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 13 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 54, fair | 5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 208kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 9 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 00:43 −0.9 mHigh 07:08 +1.1 mLow 13:37 −1.0 mHigh 19:59 +0.8 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:58 −0.8 mHigh 08:27 +1.0 mLow 15:00 −1.0 mHigh 21:24 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:23 −0.8 mHigh 09:49 +1.0 mLow 16:20 −1.0 mHigh 22:41 +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 in Sep
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 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
- Jul1of 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
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 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
Praia da Arda 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Praia de arda 0 km away
- Praia dos Ingleses 3.4 km away
- Vila Praia de Ancora 5 km away
- Kings Rock 5.4 km away
- Praia de Moledo 8.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Praia da Arda
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (274°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (94°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 16). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 14°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 17°C in June, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 2 good days in 7; in February, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Viana do Castelo, 9.3 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$1,930 each
about US$1,030–US$1,930 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 OPO, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$449–US$925 |
| 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$1,930 |
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
15 min by car · 5 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Moledo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Viana do Castelo on Booking.com
16 min by car · 63 places to stay
- Beds in Caminha on Booking.com
21 min by car · 19 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 17h 05m
About 17h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → OPO, changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), then 1h 10m by road
Flights ORD → OPO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.