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Mindelo
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
50Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 5 s
Tue 3 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- ENE 11 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 125kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Thu 5 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 145kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 13°C
Fri 6 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sat 7 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 65kJ
- Wind
- ESE 9 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 62kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 705kJ
- Wind
- SSE 22 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 278, good
- Tue 326, too small
- Wed 446, fair
- Thu 558, fair
- Fri 641, too small
- Sat 771, good
- Sun 853, fair
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 110, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best in Jan2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Mindelo does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 78, good | 4 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 229kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 26, too small | 1 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 46, fair | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 125kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 14°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 145kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 13°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 41, too small | 2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 15°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 71, good | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 65kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 62kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 10 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 705kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 22 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 12 ft10 ssoft14 ft at break (est.) | 2,342kJ | wind from the south, 24 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 910kJ | wind from the south, 20 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 01:57 −0.8 mHigh 08:26 +1.0 mLow 14:59 −0.9 mHigh 21:22 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:22 −0.8 mHigh 09:47 +1.0 mLow 16:18 −1.0 mHigh 22:38 +0.8 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 04:40 −0.9 mHigh 10:59 +1.1 mLow 17:24 −1.1 mHigh 23:39 +1.0 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
best in Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 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
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 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
Mindelo 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 Mindelo
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More surf near here
5 places
- Pinhal 0.4 km away
- Azurara 3.5 km away
- Rock 5.4 km away
- praia do rock 5.5 km away
- Funtão 5.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Mindelo
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (256°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (76°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 31). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 14°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 17°C in June, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 2 good days in 7; in July, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Mindelo Porto, 1.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 1 kayak spot.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 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$946–US$1,790 each
about US$946–US$1,790 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 OPO, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$450–US$926 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$34 |
| 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$1,790 |
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 · 1 place to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Mindelo Porto its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Azurara on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 33 places to stay
- Beds in Vila do Conde on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 32 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 16h 25m
About 16h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → OPO, changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), then 30 min by road
Flights ORD → OPO 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.