Baixa da Viola, Portugal
No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Ribeira Grande, 13 km away, is the nearest town we list.
Watch this spot We email you when Baixa da Viola is worth the trip.
About Baixa da Viola
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces N (346°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (166°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 18). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 16°C in March, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually August, with about 3 good days in 7; in January, February and March, about 0. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Ribeira Grande, 13 km away, is the nearest town we list.
Water about 22°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
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Book the trip
From Chicago: about 15 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to PDL, changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
See flights ORD → PDL · Skyscanner from about £335 returnAdGetting there. 50 min from the airport to Baixa da Viola.
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Ribeira Grande, 13 km away, is the nearest town we list.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Baixa da Viola · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Baixa da Viola · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
Baixa da Viola on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 25, too small | 5 ft13 shollow | 714kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 19Oct | 30, too small | 6 ft11 shollow | 686kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 23, too small | 5 ft7 smushy | 258kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 49, good | 6 ft8 scrumbling | 409kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 5 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 46, fair | 6 ft9 scrumbling | 612kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 39, fair | 5 ft8 scrumbling | 355kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 3 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 40, fair | 5 ft9 shollow | 331kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 26, too small | 4 ft8 shollow | 163kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 17, too small | 3 ft8 shollow | 77kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 10 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 21, too small | 5 ft9 smushy | 342kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots | 18°C |
Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.
Your trip, day by day
6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Fly ORD to PDL, changing at JFK, then 50 min by road. About 15h 10 door to door
- Tue 20 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 27 of 80.
- Wed 21 OctSurf Baixa da Viola
Best 18:00 to 21:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.
- Thu 22 OctSurf Baixa da Viola
Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 6 ft at 9 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).
- Fri 23 OctSurf Baixa da Viola
Best 09:00 to 12:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.
- Sat 24 OctSurf Baixa da Viola
Best 18:00 to 21:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Fly ORD to PDL, changing at JFK, then 50 min by road. About 15h 10 door to door
Rough cost
About £665–£1,290 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to PDL, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | £335–£700 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | £75–£130 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £150–£280 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £70–£115 |
| Total | £665–£1,290 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
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