Porto Santo, Portugal
Also within 20 km of Porto Santo
- Supertubes Surf spot · 0.9 km from Porto Santo
Watch this spot We email you when Porto Santo is worth the trip.
About Porto Santo
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces SE (153°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (333°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 8). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 18°C in February, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Porto Santo, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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 17 h 20 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to PXO, changing at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS). About 4 flights a week that month.
See flights ORD → PXO · Skyscanner from about £385 returnAdGetting there. 20 min from the airport to Porto Santo.
Accommodation.
Stay in Porto SantoAd
Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.
Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).
See all places to stay in Porto Santo (ad) on Booking.com →Closest towns to stay in
Porto Santo 1 min by car · rooms from £60 a night · 26 places to stay · where Porto Santo stays
Places to stay in Porto Santo · Booking.com Ad
Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Porto Santo · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Porto Santo · GetYourGuideAd
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Where it is
Porto Santo on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
Porto Santo does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 21, too small | 4 ft10 shollow | 253kJ | offshorewind from the north, 18 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Mon 19Oct | 47, fair | 7 ft8 shollow | 568kJ | offshorewind from the north, 9 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 26, too small | 5 ft7 shollow | 255kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 8, too small | 3 ft9 shollow | 156kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 16 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 22, too small | 5 ft9 shollow | 327kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 8 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 20, too small | 5 ft9 shollow | 411kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 14 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 17, too small | 5 ft9 shollow | 398kJ | wind from the north-east, 14 knots | 22°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 17, too small | 5 ft9 shollow | 330kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 13 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 20, too small | 4 ft9 shollow | 236kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 13, too small | 3 ft10 shollow | 212kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 22°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 PXO, changing at LIS, then 20 min by road. About 17h 20 door to door
- Tue 20 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 31 of 80.
- Wed 21 OctRest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
- Thu 22 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 29 of 80.
- Fri 23 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 22 of 80.
- Sat 24 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 21 of 80.
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Fly ORD to PXO, changing at LIS, then 20 min by road. About 17h 20 door to door
The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Porto Santo each day: Porto Santo, Supertubes.
Rough cost
About £815–£1,555 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to PXO, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | £385–£805 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | £15–£25 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | £160–£265 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £150–£280 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £70–£115 |
| Total | £815–£1,555 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
Places to eat near Porto Santo
- Di LorenzoPizza · 0.1 km from the centre
- Casa do Velho DragoeiroPortuguese · 0.3 km from the centre
- Pé na ÁguaMediterranean · 0.9 km from the centre
- La Siesta RestauranteGreek · 0.1 km from the centre
- Apolo 140.2 km from the centre
- Pizza N'AreiaPizza · 0.5 km from the centre
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
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Where to stayAd
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