Ponta Ruiva
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
49Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 5 ft swell at 10 s
Mon 2 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 470kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tue 3 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 148kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 84kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 143kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 101kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 18kJ
- Wind
- SE 9 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 40kJ
- Wind
- SE 14 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too big
- Mon 265, good
- Tue 359, fair
- Wed 432, too small
- Thu 546, fair
- Fri 652, fair
- Sat 714, too small
- Sun 826, too small
- Mon 926, poor
- Tue 105, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Oct2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft10 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 753kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 23°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 65, good | 5 ft10 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 470kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 59, fair | 3 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 148kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 143kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 101kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 14, too small | 1 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 18kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 9 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 26, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 14 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 26, poor | 6 ft7 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 241kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 15 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 5, poor | 6 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 319kJ | wind from the west, 16 knots | 21°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 00:09 −0.9 mHigh 06:38 +1.0 mLow 13:06 −0.9 mHigh 19:29 +0.7 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 01:26 −0.7 mHigh 07:58 +1.0 mLow 14:32 −0.9 mHigh 20:54 +0.7 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:54 −0.7 mHigh 09:19 +1.0 mLow 15:52 −1.0 mHigh 22:09 +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
best in Oct
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 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
- Jul1of 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
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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
Ponta Ruiva 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.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Ponta Ruiva
More surf near here
5 places
- Praia do Telheiro 2.9 km away
- Castelejo 3.9 km away
- Beliche 4.8 km away
- Cordoama 5.1 km away
- Martinhal 6.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ponta Ruiva
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (305°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (125°). 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 100 m out (1 in 10). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 16°C in January, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 20°C in September, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually October, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sagres, 7.1 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
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$1,030–US$1,940 each
about US$1,030–US$1,940 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 LIS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$449–US$938 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| 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$1,030–US$1,940 |
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
12 min by car · 37 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Sagres its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Vila do Bispo on Booking.com
15 min by car · 5 places to stay
- Beds in Carrapateira on Booking.com
25 min by car · 12 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 35m
About 16h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 4h 05m by road
Flights ORD → LIS 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.