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Cais do funchal
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
19Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 8 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 24kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 35kJ
- Wind
- SW 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- W 5 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 smushy
- Energy
- 30kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 25kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 716kJ
- Wind
- W 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Mon 9 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 639kJ
- Wind
- W 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 36, too small
- Wed 46, too small
- Thu 58, too small
- Fri 612, too small
- Sat 74, too small
- Sun 829, poor
- Mon 944, poor
- Tue 1026, poor
- Wed 1130, too small
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 22 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Cais do funchal does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft8 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 24kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 6, too small | 1 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 35kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | wind from the west, 5 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 12, too small | 3 ft4 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 30kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 4, too small | 3 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 25kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 29, poor | 7 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 716kJ | wind from the west, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 44, poor | 8 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 639kJ | wind from the west, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 26, poor | 6 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 298kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 7 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 30, too small | 4 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 261kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 19°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
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:28 −0.5 mHigh 08:51 +0.7 mLow 15:28 −0.7 mHigh 21:42 +0.6 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:45 −0.6 mHigh 10:00 +0.8 mLow 16:30 −0.8 mHigh 22:41 +0.7 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 04:45 −0.7 mHigh 10:56 +0.9 mLow 17:20 −0.8 mHigh 23:28 +0.8 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
Cais do funchal on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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Photos of Cais do funchal
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More surf near here
5 places
- Praia Formosa 4.8 km away
- Pizo 6.3 km away
- Cabo Girão 9.7 km away
- Fajã dos Padres 11.6 km away
- Porto da cruz 14.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cais do funchal
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (173°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (353°). 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 200 m out (1 in 22). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 19°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Funchal, 0.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot, 1 wind sports spot and 1 climbing area.
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$946–US$1,800 each
about US$946–US$1,800 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to FNC, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$436–US$913 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$34–US$54 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$181–US$302 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$376 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$94–US$154 |
| Total | about US$946–US$1,800 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 175 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Funchal its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Machico on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 15 places to stay
- Beds in Ribeira Brava on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 23 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 17h 35m
About 17h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FNC, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → FNC on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.