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Ilha Deserta
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
32Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 2 ft swell at 10 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 s
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 12kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft11 s
- Energy
- 17kJ
- Wind
- WNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft10 s
- Energy
- 22kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft9 s
- Energy
- 14kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- under 1 ft11 s
- Energy
- 2kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft5 s
- Energy
- 11kJ
- Wind
- ESE 12 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 159, fair
- Mon 251, fair
- Tue 320, too small
- Wed 429, too small
- Thu 537, too small
- Fri 625, too small
- Sat 77, too small
- Sun 827, poor
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 100, too big
The spot in five facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 1–6 ftof swell
- Water 20 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for beginners | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 59, fair | 2 ft6 s3 ft at break (est.) | 34kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 51, fair | 2 ft10 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 12kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 29, too small | 1 ft11 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 17kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 37, too small | 1 ft10 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 22kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 25, too small | 1 ft9 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 7, too small | under 1 ft11 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 2kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 27, poor | 2 ft5 s2 ft at break (est.) | 11kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 12 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 3 ft6 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 15 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 5 ft8 sunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 294kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 16 knots | 20°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 NovLow 00:01 −0.8 mHigh 06:32 +1.0 mLow 12:59 −0.9 mHigh 19:25 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:20 −0.7 mHigh 07:53 +0.9 mLow 14:26 −0.9 mHigh 20:51 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:49 −0.7 mHigh 09:15 +1.0 mLow 15:48 −1.0 mHigh 22:05 +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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good days in a typical week, each month, for beginners, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Ilha Deserta 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Ilha Deserta
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More surf near here
5 places
- Praia do Farol - lado poente 1.3 km away
- Ilha do farol 1.4 km away
- Ilha da culatra 4.5 km away
- Ilha de Faro 10.7 km away
- Ilha da Fuzeta 14.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ilha Deserta
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (165°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (345°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 1–6 ft of swell. The sea is about 16°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in July, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Olhão, 7.6 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 20°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$965–US$1,840 each
about US$965–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 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to FAO, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$462–US$958 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$181–US$301 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$201–US$375 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$94–US$154 |
| Total | about US$965–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
13 min by car · 63 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Olhão its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Faro (Sé e São Pedro) on Booking.com
14 min by car · 93 places to stay
- Beds in Fuseta on Booking.com
27 min by car · 30 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 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 16h 40m
About 16h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → FAO, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → FAO on your dates · Skyscanner
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.