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Ponta Pequina, Portugal

Stay in Calheta: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Calheta

All 11 on Calheta's map

Watch this spot We email you when Ponta Pequina is worth the trip.

Madeira Beach
Calheta, the nearest town, 5 km away. Photo: Don Amaro from Madeira Islands, Portugal, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Ponta Pequina

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces SW (232°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (52°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 50 m out (1 in 7). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 19°C in January, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually July and August, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Calheta, 4.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

Water about 23°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 18 h 05 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to FNC, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS). About 4 flights a week that month.

    See flights ORD → FNC · Skyscanner from about £385 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 05 from the airport to Ponta Pequina.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in CalhetaAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Calheta · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Calheta · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Ponta Pequina on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Live webcam

LIVE CAM PAUL DO MAR, 3 km away

Open the webcam on madeira-web.com

CALHETA BEACH LIVE WEBCAM, 5 km away

Open the webcam on madeira-web.com

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Forecast

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct264 ft9 shollow278kJ21°C
Mon 19Oct496 ft8 shollow523kJ21°C
Tue 20Oct325 ft9 shollow373kJ20°C
Wed 21Oct173 ft9 shollow181kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct315 ft8 shollow345kJ20°C
Fri 23Oct406 ft9 shollow525kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct385 ft9 shollow433kJ21°C
Sun 25Oct325 ft9 shollow409kJ20°C
Mon 26Oct214 ft9 shollow295kJ20°C
Tue 27Oct214 ft9 shollow264kJ20°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

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to FNC, changing at LIS, then 1h 05 by road. About 18h 05 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 34 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Ponta Pequina

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Ponta Pequina

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 6 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Ponta Pequina

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to FNC, changing at LIS, then 1h 05 by road. About 18h 05 door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Calheta each day: Madalena do mar, Paul do Mar, Ponta Pequina.

The trip from Calheta, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £875–£1,660 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to FNC, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£385–£805
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£75–£130
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£160–£265
Food7 days eating out£150–£280
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£70–£115
Total£875–£1,660

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Calheta

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.