Praia Santa Barbara (Ribeira Grande)
Surf spot · Portugal
Is it worth the trip?
33Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 8 ft swell at 8 s
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 132kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 213kJ
- Wind
- SE 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 106kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 262kJ
- Wind
- SSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 304kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 555kJ
- Wind
- NW 9 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Mon 9 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 663kJ
- Wind
- NW 11 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 434, too small
- Thu 518, too small
- Fri 627, too small
- Sat 737, too small
- Sun 834, poor
- Mon 938, poor
- Tue 1026, poor
- Wed 1126, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 20 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 132kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 34, too small | 4 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 213kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 18, too small | 3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 27, too small | 5 ft8 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 262kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 4 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 37, too small | 5 ft8 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 304kJ | wind from the north-west, 5 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 34, poor | 7 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 555kJ | wind from the north-west, 9 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 38, poor | 8 ft8 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 663kJ | wind from the north-west, 11 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 26, poor | 12 ft9 smushy13 ft at break (est.) | 2,012kJ | wind from the north-west, 12 knots | 16°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 26, poor | 9 ft8 smushy11 ft at break (est.) | 1,069kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 13 knots | 15°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
- Tue 3 NovLow 02:09 −0.4 mHigh 08:33 +0.6 mLow 15:09 −0.5 mHigh 21:20 +0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:23 −0.5 mHigh 09:41 +0.6 mLow 16:10 −0.6 mHigh 22:19 +0.5 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 04:23 −0.5 mHigh 10:36 +0.7 mLow 17:00 −0.6 mHigh 23:08 +0.6 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 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
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Wed 4 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
Praia Santa Barbara (Ribeira Grande) 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 Praia Santa Barbara (Ribeira Grande)
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More surf near here
5 places
- Areias 0.4 km away
- Praia Santana 1.5 km away
- Rabo de Peixe 3.5 km away
- Santa Iria 6.5 km away
- Populo 10 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Praia Santa Barbara (Ribeira Grande)
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (354°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (174°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 23). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 16°C in March, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Ribeira Grande, 2.2 km away (4 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 1 dive site.
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$892–US$1,690 each
about US$892–US$1,690 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 PDL, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$382–US$798 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$34–US$60 |
| 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$892–US$1,690 |
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
4 min by car · 31 places to stay
about US$67/nightcountry average
About Ribeira Grande its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Ponta Delgada on Booking.com
18 min by car · 164 places to stay
- Beds in Capelas on Booking.com
20 min by car · 13 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 14h 55m
About 14h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → PDL, changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → PDL 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.