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Praia Formosa
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
19Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 7 ft swell at 7 s, onshore wind, 11 kn (21 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 260kJ
- Wind
- ENE 0 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 31kJ
- Wind
- SSE 1 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 101kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 48kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- SSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 434kJ
- Wind
- SW 11 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 147, fair
- Mon 225, too small
- Tue 36, too small
- Wed 47, too small
- Thu 58, too small
- Fri 618, too small
- Sat 720, too small
- Sun 826, poor
- Mon 913, poor
- Tue 1032, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 3–14 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 47, fair | 6 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 705kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 25, too small | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 260kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 0 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 31kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 1 knot | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 7, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 101kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 18, too small | 4 ft4 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 20, too small | 3 ft4 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 26, poor | 7 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 434kJ | wind from the south-west, 11 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 13, poor | 6 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 458kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 16 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 32, too small | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 117kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 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 NovHigh 06:08 +0.7 mLow 12:40 −0.6 mHigh 19:01 +0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:58 −0.5 mHigh 07:29 +0.7 mLow 14:08 −0.6 mHigh 20:28 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:28 −0.5 mHigh 08:51 +0.7 mLow 15:28 −0.7 mHigh 21:43 +0.6 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 Formosa 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 Formosa
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More surf near here
5 places
- Pizo 1.7 km away
- Cais do funchal 4.8 km away
- Cabo Girão 5.2 km away
- Fajã dos Padres 7.1 km away
- Lugar de baixo 13.4 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 SW (207°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (27°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 16). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 19°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Funchal, 4.2 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots, 1 dive site and 1 climbing area.
Water about 22°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$945–US$1,800 each
about US$945–US$1,800 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to FNC, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$435–US$911 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$33–US$54 |
| 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$945–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: 3 towns
7 min by car · 175 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Funchal its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Ribeira Brava on Booking.com
20 min by car · 23 places to stay
- Beds in Lugar de Baixo on Booking.com
23 min by car · 22 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 35m
About 17h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FNC, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → FNC on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.