Ponta Dos Capelinhos
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
39Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 7 ft swell at 9 s
Tue 3 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 sslab
- Energy
- 642kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 sslab
- Energy
- 419kJ
- Wind
- SE 12 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 5 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 116kJ
- Wind
- W 14 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 sslab
- Energy
- 452kJ
- Wind
- WSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 264kJ
- Wind
- SE 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 sslab
- Energy
- 339kJ
- Wind
- NW 21 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 sslab
- Energy
- 630kJ
- Wind
- NW 20 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 357, fair
- Wed 448, fair
- Thu 55, too small
- Fri 650, fair
- Sat 738, too small
- Sun 87, poor
- Mon 910, poor
- 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 19 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Aug2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 28, too small | 4 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 257kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 57, fair | 7 ft9 sslab8 ft at break (est.) | 642kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 48, fair | 6 ft9 sslab6 ft at break (est.) | 419kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 12 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 5, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 116kJ | wind from the west, 14 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 50, fair | 6 ft8 sslab7 ft at break (est.) | 452kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 38, too small | 5 ft8 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 264kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 7 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 7, poor | 6 ft7 sslabunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 339kJ | wind from the north-west, 21 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 10, poor | 6 ft10 sslabunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 630kJ | wind from the north-west, 20 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 11 ft10 sslabunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 2,316kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 18 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, too big | 13 ft10 sslabunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 2,806kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 13 knots | 16°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 00:29 −0.3 mHigh 07:03 +0.4 mLow 13:42 −0.4 mHigh 19:51 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:56 −0.3 mHigh 08:22 +0.5 mLow 15:00 −0.4 mHigh 21:07 +0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:10 −0.4 mHigh 09:28 +0.5 mLow 16:00 −0.5 mHigh 22:06 +0.4 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 Aug
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Ponta Dos Capelinhos on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Ponta Dos Capelinhos
More surf near here
2 places
- Praia do Norte 6.7 km away
- Almoxarife 20.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ponta Dos Capelinhos
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (271°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (91°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 3). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 16°C in March, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually August, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Capelo, 3.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 mountain bike area.
Water about 19°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$879–US$1,650 each
about US$879–US$1,650 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 HOR, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$369–US$765 |
| 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$879–US$1,650 |
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 · 2 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Capelo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Praia do Norte on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 2 places to stay
- Beds in Praia do Almoxarife on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 17 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 18h 35m
About 18h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → HOR, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → HOR 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.