Staying Home Sucks, home
Street Art - Sesimbra (22jun2017)
Sesimbra, the nearest town. Photo: José Carlos Oliveira, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Sesimbra

Surf spot · Portugal

Is it worth the trip?

12Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: 7 ft swell at 7 s, onshore wind, 16 kn (29 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 7 out of 100

Swell
1 ft15 shollow
Energy
41kJ
Wind
W 1 kn
Temp
18°C

Wed 4 · 13 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
95kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
17°C

Thu 5 · 15 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
91kJ
Wind
S 4 kn
Temp
15°C

Fri 6 · 2 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft11 s
Energy
5kJ
Wind
E 8 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 14 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
43kJ
Wind
SSE 5 kn
Temp
19°C

Sun 8 · 4 out of 100

Swell
3 ft5 smushy
Energy
41kJ
Wind
SSE 13 kn
Temp
19°C

Mon 9 · 16 out of 100

Swell
7 ft7 smushy
Energy
457kJ
Wind
SSW 16 kn
Temp
20°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 231, too small
  2. Tue 37, too small
  3. Wed 413, too small
  4. Thu 515, too small
  5. Fri 62, too small
  6. Sat 714, too small
  7. Sun 84, too small
  8. Mon 916, poor
  9. Tue 1023, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 5–20 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Sesimbra, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov31, too small4 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)315kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots19°C
Tue 3Nov7, too small1 ft15 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.)41kJwind from the west, 1 knot18°C
Wed 4Nov13, too small2 ft11 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)95kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots17°C
Thu 5Nov15, too small2 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)91kJwind from the south, 4 knots15°C
Fri 6Nov2, too smallunder 1 ft11 s1 ft at break (est.)5kJwind from the east, 8 knots18°C
Sat 7Nov14, too small3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)43kJwind from the south-south-east, 5 knots19°C
Sun 8Nov4, too small3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.)41kJwind from the south-south-east, 13 knots19°C
Mon 9Nov16, poor7 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.)457kJwind from the south-south-west, 16 knots20°C
Tue 10Nov23, poor12 ft9 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)2,013kJwind from the west, 20 knots18°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 01:35 −0.7 mHigh 08:05 +0.9 mLow 14:40 −0.9 mHigh 21:02 +0.7 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 03:03 −0.7 mHigh 09:26 +0.9 mLow 16:00 −1.0 mHigh 22:17 +0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 04:21 −0.8 mHigh 10:37 +1.1 mLow 17:05 −1.1 mHigh 23:18 +0.9 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 experts: 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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Sesimbra

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

The spot faces S (177°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (357°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 38). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Sesimbra, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 climbing area.

Water about 18°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$1,030–US$1,940 each

about US$1,030–US$1,940 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to LIS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$449–US$938
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$100–US$174
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$1,030–US$1,940

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

Sesimbra

about 5 min by car · 32 places to stay

about US$67/nightcountry average

See 32 places to stay in Sesimbra · Booking.com

About Sesimbra 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 13h 30m

About 13h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 1h by road

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