Praia Formosa
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
16Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 6 ft swell at 9 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 133kJ
- Wind
- NNE 10 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 93kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 143kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 55kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 123kJ
- Wind
- SSW 17 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 167kJ
- Wind
- SW 19 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 459kJ
- Wind
- NNW 25 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 217, too small
- Tue 321, too small
- Wed 417, too small
- Thu 56, too small
- Fri 66, too small
- Sat 74, too small
- Sun 84, too small
- Mon 932, poor
- Tue 1040, poor
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
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 17, too small | 5 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 208kJ | wind from the east, 15 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 21, too small | 3 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 133kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 10 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 17, too small | 3 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 93kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 6, too small | 4 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 143kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 6, too small | 2 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 55kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 4, too small | 4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 123kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 17 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 4, too small | 4 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 167kJ | wind from the south-west, 19 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 32, poor | 6 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 459kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 25 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 40, poor | 7 ft8 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 522kJ | wind from the north-west, 9 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
- 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 experts: 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$958–US$1,800 each
about US$958–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 30 October 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$797 |
| 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$958–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 30 October 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.