Populo, Portugal

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Ponta Delgada, 5 km away, is the nearest town we list.

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About Populo

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

The spot faces S (182°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (2°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 6–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 26). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 17°C in February, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 24°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Ponta Delgada, 5 km away, is the nearest town we list. Within 5 km we also list 3 dive sites.

Water about 22°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 14 h 45 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 returnAd
Getting there. 25 min from the airport to Populo.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Ponta Delgada, 5 km away, is the nearest town we list.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Populo · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Populo · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Populo on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Populo, each day
Day	Score for experts	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	19, too small	4 ft13 shollow	430kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore	22°C
Mon 19Oct	26, too small	4 ft11 scrumbling	308kJ	wind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore	20°C
Tue 20Oct	20, too small	4 ft7 smushy	128kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore	20°C
Wed 21Oct	14, too small	3 ft8 smushy	115kJ	wind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore	20°C
Thu 22Oct	14, too small	3 ft10 scrumbling	163kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots	21°C
Fri 23Oct	13, too small	3 ft8 smushy	95kJ	wind from the south, 2 knots	20°C
Sat 24Oct	12, too small	2 ft9 scrumbling	75kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots	20°C
Sun 25Oct	7, too small	2 ft8 shollow	56kJ	wind from the west, 7 knots	21°C
Mon 26Oct	1, too small	2 ft8 smushy	36kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 15 knots	22°C
Tue 27Oct	17, too small	4 ft6 smushy	110kJ	wind from the south, 3 knots	21°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 Oct
Travel out
Fly ORD to PDL, changing at JFK, then 25 min by road. About 14h 45 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly ORD to PDL, changing at JFK, then 25 min by road. About 14h 45 door to door

Rough cost

About £605–£1,185 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.

Rough cost per person for this trip
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
Taxi	airport and back, shared	£15–£25
Food	7 days eating out	£150–£280
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£70–£115
Total		£605–£1,185

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

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

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.