Varela
Surf spot · Guinea-Bissau
Is it worth the trip?
5Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: too small (1 ft swell at 10 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft13 s
- Energy
- 6kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tue 3 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Wed 4 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 4kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Thu 5 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Fri 6 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft8 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Sat 7 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 3kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sun 8 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft3 s
- Energy
- 1kJ
- Wind
- WNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 12, too small
- Mon 24, too small
- Tue 39, too small
- Wed 46, too small
- Thu 53, too small
- Fri 63, too small
- Sat 73, too small
- Sun 83, too small
- Mon 93, too small
- Tue 106, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 2, too small | under 1 ft14 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 31°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 4, too small | under 1 ft13 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 6kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 9, too small | 1 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | offshorewind from the north, 6 knots, offshore | 31°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 4kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 31°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft8 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 31°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft10 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 3kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 30°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft3 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 7 knots | 31°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 3, too small | under 1 ft12 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 7 knots, offshore | 32°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 8kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 1 knot | 31°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 00:47 +0.8 mLow 07:13 −0.7 mHigh 13:28 +0.5 mLow 19:22 −0.6 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 01:58 +0.8 mLow 08:24 −0.6 mHigh 14:51 +0.5 mLow 20:34 −0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 03:16 +0.7 mLow 09:38 −0.6 mHigh 16:11 +0.5 mLow 21:49 −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
Varela 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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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Varela
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (202°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (22°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 6.3 km out (1 in 625). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 24°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Cap Skirring.
Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. 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$1,130–US$2,140 each
about US$1,130–US$2,140 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 OXB, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$523–US$1,080 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,130–US$2,140 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Cap Skirring
35 min by car · 8 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Cap Skirring its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Cap Skirring, 20 km (about 35 min by car)
About US$47 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 22h
About 22h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → OXB, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 2h 15m by road
Flights ORD → OXB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.