Staying Home Sucks, home
July Cabo Sao Vicente Alentejo Atlantic Ocean - Magic Portugal Photography 1989 - panoramio
Ponta Ruiva. Photo: pictures Jettcom, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Ponta Ruiva

Surf spot · Portugal

Is it worth the trip?

20Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: 8 ft swell at 8 s, onshore wind, 12 kn (22 km/h)

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 6 out of 100

Swell
1 ft15 shollow
Energy
39kJ
Wind
NW 6 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 16 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
105kJ
Wind
W 2 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 19 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 shollow
Energy
182kJ
Wind
NNE 4 kn
Temp
18°C

Fri 6 · 24 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 shollow
Energy
107kJ
Wind
ESE 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Sat 7 · 10 out of 100

Swell
2 ft6 shollow
Energy
20kJ
Wind
SE 10 kn
Temp
21°C

Sun 8 · 12 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 shollow
Energy
44kJ
Wind
ESE 14 kn
Temp
22°C

Mon 9 · 34 out of 100

Swell
8 ft8 shollow
Energy
787kJ
Wind
SSW 12 kn
Temp
22°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 261, good
  2. Tue 36, too small
  3. Wed 416, too small
  4. Thu 519, too small
  5. Fri 624, too small
  6. Sat 710, too small
  7. Sun 812, too small
  8. Mon 934, poor
  9. Tue 100, too big
  10. Wed 110, too big

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.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Ponta Ruiva, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov61, good6 ft10 shollow8 ft at break (est.)644kJwind from the east, 4 knots, offshore23°C
Tue 3Nov6, too small1 ft15 shollow2 ft at break (est.)39kJwind from the north-west, 6 knots21°C
Wed 4Nov16, too small2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.)105kJwind from the west, 2 knots20°C
Thu 5Nov19, too small3 ft11 shollow5 ft at break (est.)182kJwind from the north-north-east, 4 knots18°C
Fri 6Nov24, too small3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.)107kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots, offshore19°C
Sat 7Nov10, too small2 ft6 shollow2 ft at break (est.)20kJwind from the south-east, 10 knots, offshore21°C
Sun 8Nov12, too small2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.)44kJwind from the east-south-east, 14 knots, offshore22°C
Mon 9Nov34, poor8 ft8 shollow8 ft at break (est.)787kJwind from the south-south-west, 12 knots22°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big12 ft10 shollow13 ft at break (est.)2,423kJwind from the south-south-west, 15 knots21°C
Wed 11Nov0, too big11 ft9 shollow12 ft at break (est.)1,594kJwind from the south-south-west, 11 knots20°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 01:26 −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
  • Wed 4 NovLow 04:12 −0.8 mHigh 10:29 +1.1 mLow 16:57 −1.1 mHigh 23:09 +0.9 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, its town, photos

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.

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

January Tropic Colors of Atlantic Ocean Gulf Stream - Master Earth Photography 1989 Portugal Coast Cape Vicente - Parc Natural Alentejo - panoramio
Near Ponta Ruiva. Photo: pictures Jettcom, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
July Fado Parc Natural Alentejo Portugal - Master Earth Photography countdown 1989 End of Europe - panoramio
Photo: pictures Jettcom, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

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$1,950 each

about US$1,030–US$1,950 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to LIS, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$450–US$939
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$101–US$174
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$181–US$302
Food7 days eating outabout US$201–US$376
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$94–US$154
Totalabout US$1,030–US$1,950

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

Closest

Sagres

about 15 min by car · 37 places to stay

about US$67/nightcountry average

See 37 places to stay in Sagres · Booking.com

About Sagres its beds, food and every spot near it

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 35m

About 16h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → LIS, direct, then 4h 05m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

Saved: this link opens the same trip

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.