When to surf
When to surf in Portugal
What the Portuguese coast is doing through the year: swell, water temperature, wind, crowds and contests, season by season and month by month.
Right now: October
Prime autumn and the heart of contest season: the WSL Championship Tour at Supertubos in Peniche and the Challenger Series at Ribeira d'Ilhas in Ericeira both run this month. Solid swell, manageable crowds, water still wearable in a 3/2 early on.
The best all-round time to surf Portugal. North Atlantic depressions start sending consistent swell down the west coast while the water is still holding summer warmth, around 17 to 19 degrees. The summer nortada wind eases, mornings are clean more often than not, and the July-August crowds have gone home. It is also contest season: the WSL Championship Tour is in Peniche and the Challenger Series in Ericeira through October.
23 Jul – 31 OctInternational Ocean Film Tour
A travelling programme of ocean and surf documentaries, shown in the original language with Portuguese subtitles.
Cinema São Jorge, Lisbon (and other cities)
16–25 OctMEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal
The MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal is Event 10 of the 2026 WSL Championship Tour, held at Supertubos in Peniche from 16 to 25 October.
Praia de Supertubos
18 OctInternational Ocean Film Tour: Setúbal
The International Ocean Film Tour brings its 12th edition to Setúbal for one evening: five ocean and surf documentaries, around 150 minutes, shown in the original language with Portuguese subtitles.
Cinema CharlotBy season
Spring
March to May
The swell eases off winter size but the Atlantic is still active, so there is plenty to ride without the crowds or the January cold. Water is at its coldest early on, around 14 to 15 degrees, and slowly climbs. Wind is variable. Good value: quiet line-ups, cheap accommodation, and every level gets a look-in.
Summer
June to August
Smallest and most forgiving surf of the year, warmest water at 18 to 20 degrees, and the busiest line-ups. This is the time to learn: the beach breaks are gentle and every school and camp is running at capacity, so book ahead. The catch is the nortada, a strong north wind that blows most exposed west-coast beaches out by early afternoon, so surf at dawn or pick a sheltered spot like Costa da Caparica, or head to the Algarve.
Autumn
September to November
The best all-round time to surf Portugal. North Atlantic depressions start sending consistent swell down the west coast while the water is still holding summer warmth, around 17 to 19 degrees. The summer nortada wind eases, mornings are clean more often than not, and the July-August crowds have gone home. It is also contest season: the WSL Championship Tour is in Peniche and the Challenger Series in Ericeira through October.
Winter
December to February
The biggest, most powerful swell of the year, and the coldest water, around 14 to 16 degrees, so a 4/3 wetsuit with boots and often a hood. The west coast is frequently too big for most surfers; this is when Nazaré does its thing and the reefs at Ericeira are at full power. The move on a giant swell is to head for a sheltered corner or the south-facing Algarve. Fewer people, short days, real storms.
By town
NazaréPenicheEriceiraCascaisCarcavelosCosta da CaparicaLagosSagres
Month by month
- JanuaryWinter
- Deep winter. Big, cold and heavy on the west coast, prime Nazaré season, and the Capítulo Perfeito tube contest waits on a swell at Carcavelos. For experienced surfers, or beginners sticking to sheltered bays on the small days.
- FebruaryWinter
- Still full winter, still the biggest surf. Storms roll through in sequence. The Algarve's south coast is the fallback when the west is closed out, and the Nazaré big-wave window is open.
- MarchSpring
- The swell starts to settle but the water is at its coldest of the year. Quiet line-ups and low-season prices. A good month for improvers who want size without the winter chaos.
- AprilSpring
- Mid-spring. Swell dropping to a friendly size, water slowly warming, and the Easter weekend brings the first national contest of the year to Figueira da Foz. Still quiet on the beaches.
- MaySpring
- Late spring. Smaller, cleaner conditions and water finally past the winter low. One of the best-value months: warm enough, uncrowded, and the schools are not yet at summer capacity.
- JuneSummer
- Summer proper begins. Small, gentle surf, warming water, and the nortada starting to blow in the afternoons. Learner season is on; book camps and lessons ahead.
- JulySummer
- Peak summer. Smallest surf of the year, warmest water, busiest beaches, and the nortada blowing hard by early afternoon most days. Surf at dawn, learn on the sheltered bays, or go to the Algarve. Camps are fully booked.
- AugustSummer
- Still peak season and still small, but the first autumn pulses sometimes arrive late in the month. Water is at its warmest. The Sintra bodyboard world-tour event runs at Praia Grande in early September, on the shoulder of the month.
- SeptemberAutumn
- The month a lot of people rate as the best of the year. Consistent swell returns, the water is still warm, the wind drops and the crowds thin. Everything the coast does well lines up at once.
- OctoberAutumn
- Prime autumn and the heart of contest season: the WSL Championship Tour at Supertubos in Peniche and the Challenger Series at Ribeira d'Ilhas in Ericeira both run this month. Solid swell, manageable crowds, water still wearable in a 3/2 early on.
- NovemberAutumn
- Autumn tips toward winter. Swell gets bigger and more frequent, water cools toward a 4/3, and the national Liga MEO circuit closes at Supertubos. Fewer daylight hours but often the cleanest, emptiest waves of the year for those who commit.
- DecemberWinter
- Winter sets in. Big, cold and serious on the west coast, with the Nazaré big-wave window open and called on the right forecast. Short days, low crowds. Beginners should stick to sheltered spots and small days or head south.