Explore / Portugal

Sagres.

Now

  · updated 15 hours ago
swell
2.3m
12s
wind
22 kt
north
tide
2.63 m
falling
N E S W
▬ swell – wind
36.90, -9.10
Next days outlook
beta

WNW swell at 11-13 seconds holds through the week under blown-out NNW wind, peaking Sunday at 3-3m before easing to 2-3m Monday and Tuesday. Mid-week sees a shift to NW swell at 7-9 seconds with continued blown-out NNW wind, before a fresh NW/SW pulse arrives Saturday under strong to blown-out wind. Looks like Sunday dawn under moderate northwest wind will be the best window.

Swell height

<7s
7–11s
11–13s
13–15s
15–18s
18+s

 

Wave systems

  • primary
  • secondary
  • tertiary
  • wind sea

 

Power

small
solid / average
energetic
heavy

 

Wind speed

light
moderate
strong
blown out

 

Tide

 

Weather

 

Nearby regions

About Sagres

Sagres sits at the south-west tip of Portugal, where Iberia’s Atlantic coast hooks east into the Algarve. Two coastlines meet at a right angle under one weather system: the west takes raw Atlantic swell, the south sits in the lee. Tonel and Beliche, both west-facing under cliffs, hold the consistent surf. Up the west coast, Cordoama, Castelejo, and Bordeira spread the lineup across kilometres of empty beach. Mareta and Praia do Martinhal, on the south side, are the small-day plays.

The west-coast peak runs October through April, when North Atlantic storms send north-west swell into Tonel and the cliff-backed beaches. Working size is 1 to 3 m at 10 s or longer. The Nortada, a north summer wind, blows hard from June through September and turns the west coast onshore. That same Nortada is offshore on the south coast, so the geometry flips: when the west blows out, the south picks up. December is the most reliable month, with storms still firing and the summer crowds gone.

Water runs 15 to 17 °C in February, 21 to 23 °C in August. A 4/3 in winter, a 3/2 spring and autumn, a shorty in August. Cliff descents at Beliche and Cordoama are steep; budget the walk. Crowds split by season: schools dominate the south side from June through September; locals cycle the west-coast bigger days year-round. When the Nortada is hammering or the west closes out, head south to Mareta or Martinhal. Same call either way.

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