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Praia Formosa
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
20Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: too small (3 ft swell at 5 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- WNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- SSE 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 149kJ
- Wind
- W 1 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 52kJ
- Wind
- WSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 156kJ
- Wind
- SW 12 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 1,223kJ
- Wind
- WSW 14 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 260, good
- Tue 326, too small
- Wed 417, too small
- Thu 529, too small
- Fri 638, poor
- Sat 720, too small
- Sun 87, poor
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 110, too big
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
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Praia Formosa does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 60, good | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 381kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 0 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 29, too small | 3 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 149kJ | wind from the west, 1 knot | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 38, poor | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 20, too small | 3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 7, poor | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 156kJ | wind from the south-west, 12 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 1,223kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 14 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 10 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 1,436kJ | wind from the west, 9 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 618kJ | wind from the west, 8 knots | 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 00:58 −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
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:45 −0.6 mHigh 10:00 +0.8 mLow 16:30 −0.8 mHigh 22:41 +0.7 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 beginners: 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 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 wind sports spot 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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 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
about 20 min by car · 23 places to stay
- Beds in Lugar de Baixo on Booking.com
about 25 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 · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.