When to surf · Silver Coast
When to surf in Peniche
The peninsula's shape means something is usually rideable in Peniche whatever the month. Autumn, September to November, is the pick: consistent swell, water still holding summer warmth, and the WSL contest. Winter is big and largely for Supertubos specialists. Summer fills the learner bays at Baleal and books the camps out weeks ahead.
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.
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.
Spots here
Peniche
Cantinho da Baia
The most sheltered corner of the Baleal bay, tucked against the Peniche side. Small, soft and forgiving, and the spot most Peniche schools use for a first lesson. Rarely flat.
BeginnersYear-round; small and gentle May to August
Molhe Leste
The beach break next to the eastern breakwater at Peniche, just along from Supertubos. A more forgiving wave than its famous neighbour, and the spot the crowd moves to when Supertubos is out of control or blown out by the north wind.
IntermediatesAutumn to spring
Peniche & Baleal
The whole peninsula in one guide: why Peniche works almost year-round, where Supertubos and Baleal fit, and how locals pick a spot by the day's wind and tide.
All levelsAutumn to spring for the biggest, most consistent swell; summer smaller and better for learning
Prainha
A small, sheltered cove on the Peniche peninsula that stays surfable when the exposed breaks are out of hand. A calm, forgiving wave used by schools on bigger days.
BeginnersYear-round; a reliable option when the exposed breaks are too big
Supertubos
The beach break that made Peniche famous: fast, hollow barrels over a sandbar, both ways with better lefts. Europe's answer to Pipeline and a long-time WSL Championship Tour venue.
Advanced surfersOctober to March, February often the pick