Beach break · Sagres, Algarve · 37°01′N 8°57′W
Tonel
The west-facing beach at Sagres, a short walk from town. Far more exposed than the south-coast beaches, so it holds swell when everywhere sheltered is flat, but it is powerful and shifty.
Tonel is the west-facing beach on the Sagres side of the peninsula. Where Mareta around the corner is sheltered and gentle, Tonel takes the full Atlantic, and on a clean autumn day with an offshore east wind it is one of the better beach breaks in the western Algarve.
Who it is for
Intermediates and up. It has power, the peaks move around the rocks, and the rips are strong on size. Beginners are much better off at Mareta or on a lesson that goes to Amado.
When
W to NW swell, E or NE wind, low to mid tide. Autumn through spring is the west coast season. In summer it is smaller and often blown out by the north wind by midday.
Schools & rentals near here
Algarve Surf School
A surf school and camp based in Sagres since 1996, teaching at Praia da Mareta and Praia do Amado depending on wind and swell, with ASI-certified instructors and a free transfer from Lagos.
Surf
FreeRide Surfing
A surf school and camp in Sagres since 2002, with a year-round surf centre at the Memmo Baleeira hotel and a beach hut at Praia da Cordoama from June to November.
Surf
Good Feeling Surf School
A surf school and camp near Sagres, working since 1997 and certified by the Portuguese Surf Federation, teaching year-round on the beaches of the far southwest.
Surf
Sagres Natura Surf Camp
A long-running surf camp, school and shop in Sagres, with dorm accommodation, certified instructors for beginners through advanced, board rental, and a retail shop offering camp guests a discount.
SurfNearby
Beliche
A cliff-ringed beach between Sagres and Cabo de São Vicente, reached by a long stairway. More exposed and more powerful than Tonel, with a fast, hollow wave for confident surfers.
Advanced surfersAutumn to spring
Mareta
The south-facing town beach at Sagres, tucked out of the west wind and swell. Gentle and forgiving, the main learner wave in Sagres and the go-to when the west coast is too big or too windy.
BeginnersAutumn to spring for swell; sheltered enough to surf on windy west-coast days
Martinhal
A sheltered bay just east of Sagres where the summer north wind blows offshore across flat water: one of the few windsurfing spots in the western Algarve. Hardly ever any surf, and that is the point.
All levelsSummer afternoons, when the nortada blowsCommon questions
- What kind of wave is Tonel?
- Tonel is a beach break. It wants W to NW; very exposed, picks up almost anything swell and works best with offshore from the e / ne (the town side) wind.
- Is Tonel good for beginners?
- Not for a first session. It's rated intermediate — better once you can paddle out and read a line-up on your own.
- When's the best time for Tonel?
- Autumn to spring; the west coast is biggest and cleanest then.
- What should I watch out for at Tonel?
- Rocks at both ends and mid-beach, strong rips, and a heavy shorebreak when it is over head high.