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Fajã dos Padres
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
20Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 11 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- SE 1 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- SSE 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 shollow
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft4 shollow
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 384kJ
- Wind
- WSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 11 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 1,884kJ
- Wind
- W 10 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 228, too small
- Tue 37, too small
- Wed 48, too small
- Thu 58, too small
- Fri 624, too small
- Sat 712, too small
- Sun 827, too small
- Mon 931, poor
- Tue 1049, fair
- Wed 1143, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 6–20 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Fajã dos Padres does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 28, too small | 4 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 381kJ | wind from the south-east, 1 knot | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the south-east, 1 knot | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 8, too small | 1 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 24, too small | 4 ft5 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 12, too small | 3 ft4 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 27, too small | 6 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 384kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 31, poor | 11 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1,884kJ | wind from the west, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 49, fair | 10 ft9 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1,436kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 43, poor | 7 ft10 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 949kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 knots | 17°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 00:58 −0.5 mHigh 07:29 +0.7 mLow 14:08 −0.6 mHigh 20:28 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:28 −0.5 mHigh 08:51 +0.7 mLow 15:28 −0.7 mHigh 21:43 +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
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
Fajã dos Padres 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Cabo Girão 1.9 km away
- Pizo 5.4 km away
- Lugar de baixo 6.4 km away
- Praia Formosa 7.1 km away
- Madalena do mar 11.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Fajã dos Padres
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (199°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (19°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 6–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 5). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 19°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Ribeira Brava, 4.1 km away (about 10 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$966–US$1,840 each
about US$966–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 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$54–US$94 |
| 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$966–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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 min by car · 23 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Ribeira Brava its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Lugar de Baixo on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 22 places to stay
- Beds in Funchal on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 175 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 50m
About 17h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FNC, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 45 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.
In the water
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.