Staying Home Sucks, home
Caparica December 2011-1a
Praia do Barbas. Photo: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Praia do Barbas

Surf spot · Portugal

Is it worth the trip?

25Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sat 7: too small (3 ft swell at 5 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 13 out of 100

Swell
1 ft14 shollow
Energy
52kJ
Wind
N 2 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 27 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
79kJ
Wind
NE 8 kn
Temp
21°C

Thu 5 · 26 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
83kJ
Wind
WNW 0 kn
Temp
18°C

Fri 6 · 12 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
60kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 39 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
43kJ
Wind
SE 5 kn
Temp
22°C

Sun 8 · 23 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
51kJ
Wind
SE 7 kn
Temp
21°C

Mon 9 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft7 smushy
Energy
425kJ
Wind
S 14 kn
Temp
21°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 256, fair
  2. Tue 313, too small
  3. Wed 427, too small
  4. Thu 526, too small
  5. Fri 612, too small
  6. Sat 739, too small
  7. Sun 823, too small
  8. Mon 90, too big
  9. Tue 100, too big

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 4–16 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number

Praia do Barbas does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Praia do Barbas, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov56, fair4 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)277kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore25°C
Tue 3Nov13, too small1 ft14 shollow2 ft at break (est.)52kJwind from the north, 2 knots22°C
Wed 4Nov27, too small2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)79kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots, offshore21°C
Thu 5Nov26, too small2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)83kJwind from the west-north-west, 0 knots18°C
Fri 6Nov12, too small2 ft9 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)60kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore18°C
Sat 7Nov39, too small3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)43kJwind from the south-east, 5 knots22°C
Sun 8Nov23, too small3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.)51kJwind from the south-east, 7 knots21°C
Mon 9Nov0, too big7 ft7 smushy8 ft at break (est.)425kJwind from the south, 14 knots21°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big12 ft9 smushy15 ft at break (est.)2,175kJwind from the south-west, 14 knots19°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 01:35 −0.7 mHigh 08:05 +0.9 mLow 14:39 −0.9 mHigh 21:02 +0.7 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 03:02 −0.7 mHigh 09:26 +1.0 mLow 15:59 −1.0 mHigh 22:17 +0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 04:20 −0.8 mHigh 10:36 +1.1 mLow 17:04 −1.1 mHigh 23:17 +0.9 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

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.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Praia do Barbas

Caparica January 2013-1a
Photo: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Plage de San-Antonio-Caparica - panoramio
Photo: Cossel, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Praia do Barbas

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SW (232°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (52°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 49). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in June, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Costa da Caparica, 0.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 10 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

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$965–US$1,840 each

about US$965–US$1,840 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to LIS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$449–US$938
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$40–US$74
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$181–US$301
Food7 days eating outabout US$201–US$375
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$94–US$154
Totalabout US$965–US$1,840

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

Closest

Costa da Caparica

about 5 min by car · 61 places to stay

about US$67/nightcountry average

See 61 places to stay in Costa da Caparica · Booking.com

About Costa da Caparica its beds, food and every spot near it

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 13h 10m

About 13h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 40 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.