Back to results

Ponta Delgada, Portugal

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

Also within 20 km of São Vicente

All 13 on São Vicente's map

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

About Ponta Delgada

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

The spot faces N (3°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (183°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 9). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 18°C in March, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually June and July, with about 3 good days in 7; in February and March, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is São Vicente, 6.2 km away (about 15 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.

Saved: this link opens the same trip

Email itRemind me to book

The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 17 h 50 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. 45 min from the airport to Ponta Delgada.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in São VicenteAd

    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 São Vicente (ad) 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.

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

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

Forecast

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Ponta Delgada, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct34, poor4 ft10 shollow302kJwind from the north-north-west, 6 knots16°C
Mon 19Oct0, too big9 ft8 shollow883kJwind from the north-north-west, 3 knots15°C
Tue 20Oct23, poor5 ft7 shollow245kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots16°C
Wed 21Oct43, fair4 ft6 shollow74kJwind from the east-north-east, 6 knots15°C
Thu 22Oct48, good5 ft9 shollow326kJwind from the east, 3 knots17°C
Fri 23Oct34, poor5 ft9 shollow413kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots16°C
Sat 24Oct33, poor5 ft8 shollow368kJwind from the north-east, 5 knots16°C
Sun 25Oct46, fair5 ft10 shollow396kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots16°C
Mon 26Oct62, good4 ft10 shollow308kJwind from the east-north-east, 3 knots17°C
Tue 27Oct57, good4 ft10 shollow299kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots17°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 intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to FNC, changing at LIS, then 45 min by road. About 17h 50 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Ponta Delgada

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Ponta Delgada

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 6 kn (10 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Faja da Areia

    Best 10:00 to 13:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Ponta Delgada

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Ponta Delgada

    Best 19:00 to 22:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to FNC, changing at LIS, then 45 min by road. About 17h 50 door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near São Vicente each day: Faja da Areia, Ponta Delgada, São Vicente.

The trip from São Vicente, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £840–£1,595 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

Rough cost per person for this trip
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
Taxiairport and back, shared£40–£65
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£840–£1,595

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

Book the trip

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