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Praia de Altura
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
4Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 2 ft swell at 4 s, onshore wind, 12 kn (23 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 smushy
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft13 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft12 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- ENE 1 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft11 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 1 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft2 smushy
- Energy
- 0kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 16kJ
- Wind
- SE 12 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 115, poor
- Mon 25, too small
- Tue 31, too small
- Wed 40, too small
- Thu 50, too small
- Fri 60, too small
- Sat 71, too small
- Sun 813, poor
- Mon 98, poor
- Tue 1011, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–6 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Dec–Feb3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 15, poor | 2 ft4 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 7kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft3 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 1, too small | under 1 ft3 s1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too small | under 1 ft13 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the north, 6 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 0, too small | under 1 ft12 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 1 knot | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too small | under 1 ft11 s1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 1, too small | 1 ft2 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 0kJ | wind from the south-east, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 13, poor | 2 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 16kJ | wind from the south-east, 12 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 8, poor | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 30kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 18 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 11, poor | 3 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 17 knots | 19°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 06:33 +1.0 mLow 12:58 −0.9 mHigh 19:25 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:20 −0.7 mHigh 07:53 +0.9 mLow 14:25 −0.9 mHigh 20:50 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:49 −0.7 mHigh 09:15 +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.
Best time to go
best Dec–Feb
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 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
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec3of 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 de Altura 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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Photos of Praia de Altura
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More surf near here
3 places
- Manta Rota 2.1 km away
- Vila Real Santo Antonio 7.7 km away
- Ilha de Tavira 12.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Praia de Altura
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (165°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (345°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.4 km out (1 in 135). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in January, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 22°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For beginners the best months are usually January, February and December, with about 3 good days in 7; in June, July and August, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Altura, 0.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 19°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$1,040–US$1,960 each
about US$1,040–US$1,960 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 FAO, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$462–US$958 |
| 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$1,040–US$1,960 |
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 · 30 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Altura its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Manta Rota on Booking.com
3 min by car · 28 places to stay
- Beds in Vila Real de Santo António on Booking.com
14 min by car · 14 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 10m
About 17h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FAO, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 1h 05m by road
Flights ORD → FAO on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.