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Praia da Rocha
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
9Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: too small (2 ft swell at 10 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 42kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- NNW 1 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft11 s
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- SE 8 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 13kJ
- Wind
- ESE 15 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 126, too small
- Mon 218, too small
- Tue 37, too small
- Wed 48, too small
- Thu 55, too small
- Fri 65, too small
- Sat 73, too small
- Sun 810, too small
- Mon 919, poor
- Tue 1030, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Praia da Rocha does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft12 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 1 knot, offshore | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 5, too small | under 1 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 5, too small | under 1 ft11 s1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft10 s1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the south-east, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 13kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 15 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 19, poor | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 140kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 15 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 30, poor | 4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 192kJ | wind from the south, 12 knots | 20°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 00:01 −0.8 mHigh 06:32 +1.0 mLow 12:59 −0.9 mHigh 19:25 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:19 −0.7 mHigh 07:53 +1.0 mLow 14:25 −0.9 mHigh 20:50 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:47 −0.7 mHigh 09:14 +1.0 mLow 15:47 −1.0 mHigh 22:05 +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.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Praia da Rocha on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Praia da Rocha
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More surf near here
5 places
- Molhe de Ferragudo 1.6 km away
- Três Irmãos 3.8 km away
- Alvor 5.7 km away
- Meia Praia 9.7 km away
- Arcos da mesquita 11.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Praia da Rocha
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (195°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (15°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.1 km out (1 in 112). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in March, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Portimão, 2.4 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
3 min by car · 101 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Ferragudo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Portimão on Booking.com
4 min by car · 106 places to stay
- Beds in Alvor on Booking.com
9 min by car · 104 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 16h 10m
About 16h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 3h 40m by road
Flights ORD → LIS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.