Best Time to Surf in Portugal: Ericeira and Peniche

Our Portugal surf camps are in Ericeira and in Baleal, just north of Peniche. The two towns are about an hour apart on the Atlantic coast north of Lisbon and share the same seasons. There are waves all year. The time of year decides how big they are, how cold the water is and how many people are in it, so the best time to surf Portugal depends mostly on your level.

This page sums up the seasons from our Ericeira surf guide and our Peniche and Baleal surf guide. Surf conditions change daily, so treat it as a starting point and always check conditions on the day with someone who knows the break.

The short answer

Portugal surf seasons

Summer (June to August)

Summer has the smallest waves, the warmest water and the most people, and it is the easiest time to learn. In Ericeira, June to August is the best season for beginners and the busiest. In Peniche, the learning season runs a little longer, from May to September. In Ericeira the water is about 19 to 20 °C in August, and a 3/2 mm wetsuit or a shorty on warm days is enough. In Peniche the sea is about 18 to 19 °C in July and August.

Mornings are often calmer. In Peniche, a northerly wind called the Nortada blows on many summer afternoons, and the peninsula’s beaches face different directions, so one side is usually more sheltered. In Ericeira, too, wind tends to build through the day in summer.

Autumn (September to November)

Autumn brings consistent, clean swell while the sea is still relatively warm. In Ericeira, September to November is widely seen as the best all-round season, and you will want a 3/2 mm wetsuit moving to a 4/3 mm as the months go on. In Peniche, October is when autumn swells arrive while the sea is still near its warmest, at about 18 °C.

Winter (December to February)

Winter has the biggest and most powerful surf and suits experienced surfers best. In Ericeira, December to February is prime time for experienced surfers, with water of about 14 to 16 °C and a 4/3 mm wetsuit with boots. In Peniche, November to March is the best season for intermediate and advanced surfers, with the sea at about 14 to 15 °C in late winter.

Learners can still surf in winter on the right day at a sheltered beach, with a guide choosing the spot. Atlantic winter swells are strong, so stay inside your limits.

Spring (March to May)

Spring is the quietest time in the water. In Ericeira the swell eases as spring goes on, and you move from a 4/3 mm to a 3/2 mm wetsuit. In Peniche, April is a changeover month as the swell eases and the days lengthen, and by May the beginner season has started.

Surfing Portugal in October

October is one of the best all-round months in both towns. In Ericeira it falls in the September to November season of consistent, clean swell, and you will want a 3/2 mm wetsuit moving to a 4/3 mm. In Peniche, October is when autumn swells arrive while the sea is still near its warmest, at about 18.3 °C, with an average high of about 19 °C on land. Learners can still surf on the right day at a sheltered beach.

Surfing Portugal in November

November sits between the two big seasons. In Ericeira it is the end of the September to November all-round season, with consistent, clean swell and a 4/3 mm wetsuit by the end of the month. In Peniche it is the start of the November to March big-swell season, the best time for intermediate and advanced surfers, with the sea at about 16.7 °C and an average high of about 17 °C on land. Beginners can still surf on suitable days at the sheltered beaches.

Weather, sea temperature and wetsuits by month

Sea temperatures and average highs below are typical monthly averages for Peniche, from our Peniche and Baleal surf guide. The air temperatures are long-term averages for Cabo Carvoeiro, the headland at the tip of the Peniche peninsula (1981 to 2010). Wetsuit advice is from our Ericeira surf guide. Any single day can differ.

Surf Portugal with Mojosurf

• Ericeira surf camp: a pool, a skate ramp and a pet-friendly hostel, with lessons at Matadouro Beach. See Surf & Stay Ericeira (3 to 8 days).
• Peniche surf camp: a social surf hostel in Baleal with the surf school inside and the beach five minutes’ walk away.
• 7 Day Portugal Surf Adventure: two nights in Peniche and four in Ericeira, with the transfer between the two towns.

You need to be able to swim 50 metres unaided to join a lesson. Not sure which town suits you? Read Ericeira vs Peniche or see all our surf camps in Portugal.