Staying Home Sucks, home
Sao Vicente Madeira January 2014 - panoramio (1)
São Vicente, the nearest town. Photo: Bengt Nyman, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

São Vicente

Surf spot · Portugal

Is it worth the trip?

60Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 11 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 84 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 shollow
Energy
304kJ
Wind
NNE 2 kn
Temp
18°C

Tue 3 · 44 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 shollow
Energy
81kJ
Wind
NNW 0 kn
Temp
18°C

Wed 4 · 67 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 shollow
Energy
158kJ
Wind
N 0 kn
Temp
18°C

Thu 5 · 68 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 shollow
Energy
146kJ
Wind
SSW 3 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 32 out of 100

Swell
2 ft7 shollow
Energy
43kJ
Wind
S 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Sat 7 · 17 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 shollow
Energy
39kJ
Wind
SSW 4 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 55 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 shollow
Energy
103kJ
Wind
S 5 kn
Temp
17°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 117, poor
  2. Mon 284, good
  3. Tue 344, too small
  4. Wed 467, good
  5. Thu 568, good
  6. Fri 632, too small
  7. Sat 717, too small
  8. Sun 855, fair
  9. Mon 947, fair
  10. Tue 1058, fair

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Ntakes swell from the N
  • Offshore: Swind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Jun–Aug3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

São Vicente does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at São Vicente, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov17, poor5 ft10 shollow7 ft at break (est.)579kJwind from the north-west, 2 knots18°C
Mon 2Nov84, good4 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.)304kJwind from the north-north-east, 2 knots18°C
Tue 3Nov44, too small2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.)81kJwind from the north-north-west, 0 knots18°C
Wed 4Nov67, good4 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.)158kJwind from the north, 0 knots18°C
Thu 5Nov68, good4 ft7 shollow5 ft at break (est.)146kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots, offshore19°C
Fri 6Nov32, too small2 ft7 shollow3 ft at break (est.)43kJwind from the south, 4 knots, offshore19°C
Sat 7Nov17, too small2 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.)39kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots, offshore17°C
Sun 8Nov55, fair4 ft6 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)103kJwind from the south, 5 knots, offshore17°C
Mon 9Nov47, fair5 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.)301kJwind from the south-south-west, 7 knots, offshore14°C
Tue 10Nov58, fair4 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.)138kJwind from the north-west, 2 knots16°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 06:14 +0.8 mLow 12:46 −0.7 mHigh 19:07 +0.5 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 01:05 −0.5 mHigh 07:35 +0.7 mLow 14:14 −0.7 mHigh 20:33 +0.5 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 02:34 −0.5 mHigh 08:56 +0.8 mLow 15:33 −0.7 mHigh 21:47 +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 and its town

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.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About São Vicente

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces N (4°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (184°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 8). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 18°C in March, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually June, July and August, with about 3 good days in 7; in February and March, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is São Vicente, 0.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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$971–US$1,840 each

about US$971–US$1,840 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to FNC, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$435–US$911
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$60–US$100
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$181–US$301
Food7 days eating outabout US$201–US$375
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$94–US$154
Totalabout US$971–US$1,840

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

Closest

São Vicente

1 min by car · 20 places to stay

about US$67/nightcountry average

See 20 places to stay in São Vicente · Booking.com

About São Vicente its beds, food and every spot near it

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 50m

About 17h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → FNC, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 50 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.