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Império do Espírito Santo do Cabo da Praia - Ilha Terceira - Portugal
Near Santa Catarina, 1 km away. Photo: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Santa Catarina

Surf spot · Portugal

Is it worth the trip?

34Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 23 out of 100

Swell
3 ft6 smushy
Energy
80kJ
Wind
NE 3 kn
Temp
18°C

Wed 4 · 24 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
101kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
18°C

Thu 5 · 35 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
171kJ
Wind
SW 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 24 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
254kJ
Wind
E 3 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 31 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
244kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 41 out of 100

Swell
7 ft7 smushy
Energy
402kJ
Wind
NW 15 kn
Temp
17°C

Mon 9 · 41 out of 100

Swell
8 ft8 ssoft
Energy
818kJ
Wind
NW 12 kn
Temp
16°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 323, too small
  2. Wed 424, too small
  3. Thu 535, too small
  4. Fri 624, too small
  5. Sat 731, too small
  6. Sun 841, poor
  7. Mon 941, poor
  8. Tue 1051, fair
  9. Wed 1155, fair

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 4–15 ftof swell
  • Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best in Jun1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Santa Catarina, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov23, too small3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)80kJwind from the north-east, 3 knots18°C
Wed 4Nov24, too small3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)101kJwind from the east, 4 knots18°C
Thu 5Nov35, too small4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)171kJwind from the south-west, 4 knots, offshore19°C
Fri 6Nov24, too small4 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)254kJwind from the east, 3 knots17°C
Sat 7Nov31, too small4 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)244kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore17°C
Sun 8Nov41, poor7 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)402kJwind from the north-west, 15 knots, offshore17°C
Mon 9Nov41, poor8 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)818kJwind from the north-west, 12 knots16°C
Tue 10Nov51, fair10 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)1,592kJwind from the north-west, 11 knots15°C
Wed 11Nov55, fair8 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)758kJwind from the north-north-west, 9 knots15°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 02:16 −0.4 mHigh 08:41 +0.5 mLow 15:15 −0.5 mHigh 21:26 +0.4 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 03:29 −0.5 mHigh 09:47 +0.6 mLow 16:16 −0.6 mHigh 22:25 +0.5 m
  • Thu 5 NovLow 04:28 −0.5 mHigh 10:42 +0.7 mLow 17:05 −0.6 mHigh 23:13 +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.

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.

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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 Santa Catarina

LAURA S 0167
Near Santa Catarina. Photo: Ein Dahmer, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Santa Catarina

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces E (85°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (265°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 50). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Praia da Vitória (Santa Cruz), 3 km away (6 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

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$872–US$1,640 each

about US$872–US$1,640 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to TER, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$376–US$778
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$34
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$872–US$1,640

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 2 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

Praia da Vitória (Santa Cruz)

6 min by car · 14 places to stay

about US$67/nightcountry average

See 14 places to stay in Praia da Vitória (Santa Cruz) · Booking.com

About Praia da Vitória (Santa Cruz) 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 18h 15m

About 18h 15m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → TER, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), then 25 min by road

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

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