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Praia da Tocha
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
22Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 6 ft swell at 7 s, onshore wind, 13 kn (23 km/h)
Tue 3 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 60kJ
- Wind
- E 13 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 116kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Thu 5 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 156kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Fri 6 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 88kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 32kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- SSE 15 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 316kJ
- Wind
- S 13 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 248, fair
- Tue 314, too small
- Wed 416, too small
- Thu 527, too small
- Fri 622, too small
- Sat 78, too small
- Sun 810, too small
- Mon 938, poor
- 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 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best Jan, Sep2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 48, fair | 5 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 396kJ | offshorewind from the east, 7 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 14, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | offshorewind from the east, 13 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 116kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 27, too small | 3 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 156kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 15°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft10 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 32kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 15 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 38, poor | 6 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 316kJ | wind from the south, 13 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 10 ft8 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 1,057kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 11 knots | 16°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 01:51 −0.8 mHigh 08:20 +1.0 mLow 14:52 −0.9 mHigh 21:15 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:16 −0.8 mHigh 09:41 +1.0 mLow 16:13 −1.0 mHigh 22:32 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:34 −0.9 mHigh 10:53 +1.1 mLow 17:19 −1.1 mHigh 23:33 +1.0 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 Jan, Sep
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
- 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 Tue 3 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, its town, photos
Praia da Tocha 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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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 Tocha
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More surf near here
5 places
- Murtinheira 13.5 km away
- cabo mondego 17.1 km away
- Pico da mina 17.2 km away
- Buarcos 18.7 km away
- Figueira da Foz 19.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Praia da Tocha
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (286°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (106°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 40). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 14°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in June, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and September, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Buarcos.
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$1,940 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
about 25 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Praia de Mira its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Buarcos on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 53 places to stay
- Beds in Figueira da Foz on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 55 places to stay
Nearest beds: Buarcos, 18 km (about 35 min by car)
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 15h 50m
About 15h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 3h 20m by road
Flights ORD → LIS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.