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Strand Praia do Tonel 4
Tonel. Photo: Dronepicr, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Tonel

Surf spot · Portugal

Is it worth the trip?

15Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: 8 ft swell at 8 s, onshore wind, 17 kn (32 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft15 shollow
Energy
39kJ
Wind
WNW 6 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 13 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 shollow
Energy
67kJ
Wind
NNW 2 kn
Temp
18°C

Thu 5 · 15 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 shollow
Energy
135kJ
Wind
W 6 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 17 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 shollow
Energy
107kJ
Wind
ESE 8 kn
Temp
19°C

Sat 7 · 13 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 shollow
Energy
18kJ
Wind
ESE 13 kn
Temp
19°C

Sun 8 · 8 out of 100

Swell
2 ft5 shollow
Energy
27kJ
Wind
ESE 14 kn
Temp
20°C

Mon 9 · 20 out of 100

Swell
8 ft8 sslab
Energy
584kJ
Wind
SSW 17 kn
Temp
20°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 249, fair
  2. Tue 36, too small
  3. Wed 413, too small
  4. Thu 515, too small
  5. Fri 617, too small
  6. Sat 713, too small
  7. Sun 88, too small
  8. Mon 920, poor
  9. Tue 1023, poor

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 4–15 ftof swell
  • Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Dec–Jan1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Tonel, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov49, fair5 ft10 sslab4 ft at break (est.)530kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots, offshore19°C
Tue 3Nov6, too small1 ft15 shollow2 ft at break (est.)39kJwind from the west-north-west, 6 knots19°C
Wed 4Nov13, too small2 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.)67kJwind from the north-north-west, 2 knots18°C
Thu 5Nov15, too small3 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)135kJwind from the west, 6 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov17, too small3 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.)107kJwind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore19°C
Sat 7Nov13, too small2 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.)18kJwind from the east-south-east, 13 knots, offshore19°C
Sun 8Nov8, too small2 ft5 shollow3 ft at break (est.)27kJwind from the east-south-east, 14 knots20°C
Mon 9Nov20, poor8 ft8 sslab9 ft at break (est.)584kJwind from the south-south-west, 17 knots20°C
Tue 10Nov23, poor10 ft10 sslab12 ft at break (est.)1,810kJwind from the west-south-west, 21 knots20°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 01:24 −0.7 mHigh 07:56 +1.0 mLow 14:29 −0.9 mHigh 20:52 +0.7 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 02:51 −0.7 mHigh 09:17 +1.0 mLow 15:50 −1.0 mHigh 22:07 +0.8 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 04:10 −0.8 mHigh 10:27 +1.1 mLow 16:55 −1.1 mHigh 23:08 +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, its town, photos

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.

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.

Photos of Tonel

View from Praia do Tonel to Cape St. Vincent 2019-11-15
Photo: Alexey Komarov, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Praia do Tonel - Portugal
Photo: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Praia do Tonel, Sagres, 2019-11-15-5
Photo: Alexey Komarov, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Tonel

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

The spot faces SW (241°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (61°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 2). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 16°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 20°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January and December, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sagres, 0.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

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$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

Sagres

1 min by car · 37 places to stay

about US$67/nightcountry average

See 37 places to stay in Sagres · Booking.com

About Sagres 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 16h 35m

About 16h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 4h 05m by road

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