Praia Formosa
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
15Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 8 ft swell at 8 s, onshore wind, 27 kn (51 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 163kJ
- Wind
- NNE 9 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 103kJ
- Wind
- E 11 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 41kJ
- Wind
- WSW 21 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 2 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 77kJ
- Wind
- WSW 22 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 727kJ
- Wind
- WNW 27 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Mon 9 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 259kJ
- Wind
- NW 31 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 217, too small
- Tue 321, too small
- Wed 411, too small
- Thu 54, too small
- Fri 611, too small
- Sat 72, too small
- Sun 826, poor
- Mon 911, too small
- Tue 1030, poor
- Wed 1165, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 6–20 ftof swell
- Water 21 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Praia Formosa does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 17, too small | 6 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 223kJ | wind from the east, 15 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 21, too small | 3 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 163kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 11, too small | 3 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | wind from the east, 11 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 4, too small | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 41kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 21 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 11, too small | 3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 2, too small | 3 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 22 knots | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 26, poor | 8 ft8 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 727kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 27 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 11, too small | 4 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 259kJ | wind from the north-west, 31 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 30, poor | 7 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1,092kJ | wind from the north-west, 28 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 65, good | 9 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1,752kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 24 knots, offshore | 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:34 −0.3 mHigh 07:04 +0.5 mLow 13:46 −0.4 mHigh 19:59 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:00 −0.3 mHigh 08:24 +0.5 mLow 15:02 −0.5 mHigh 21:14 +0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:15 −0.4 mHigh 09:31 +0.6 mLow 16:03 −0.5 mHigh 22:12 +0.5 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 and its town
Praia Formosa 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
1 place
- Anjos 7.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Praia Formosa
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (193°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (13°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 6–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 20). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 17°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Almagreira, 1.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 21°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$959–US$1,800 each
about US$959–US$1,800 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to PDL, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$382–US$798 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$101–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$181–US$302 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$376 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$94–US$154 |
| Total | about US$959–US$1,800 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Almagreira its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Vila do Porto on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 5 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 16h 25m
About 16h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → PDL, changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), then 2h 05m by road
Flights ORD → PDL on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.