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Santa Catarina
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
42Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: too small (4 ft swell at 7 s), 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 101kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 129kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 135kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- SW 7 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 47kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- NW 14 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too big
- Mon 247, fair
- Tue 336, too small
- Wed 440, too small
- Thu 559, fair
- Fri 637, too small
- Sat 724, too small
- Sun 825, too small
- Mon 916, poor
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–15 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Jun1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 438kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 16 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 47, fair | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 101kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 36, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 40, too small | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 59, fair | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 135kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 37, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | wind from the south-west, 7 knots | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 47kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 14 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 16, poor | 5 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 363kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 15 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 431kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 17°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 06:03 +0.5 mLow 12:33 −0.4 mHigh 18:45 +0.4 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 00:53 −0.4 mHigh 07:23 +0.5 mLow 13:59 −0.4 mHigh 20:11 +0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:16 −0.4 mHigh 08:41 +0.5 mLow 15:15 −0.5 mHigh 21:26 +0.4 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.
Best time to go
best in Jun
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Santa Catarina 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Santa Catarina
More surf near here
5 places
- Porto Martins 3.1 km away
- Praia da Vitoria 3.4 km away
- Contendas 7.6 km away
- Baixa da Vila Nova 11.8 km away
- Baia das Quatro Ribeiras 18.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Santa Catarina
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (85°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (265°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 50). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Praia da Vitória (Santa Cruz), 3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 19°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$871–US$1,640 each
about US$871–US$1,640 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 TER, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$375–US$777 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| 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$871–US$1,640 |
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
5 min by car · 14 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Praia da Vitória (Santa Cruz) its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Angra do Heroísmo on Booking.com
28 min by car · 44 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 18h 15m
About 18h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → TER, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 25 min by road
Flights ORD → TER on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.