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Ponta Preta, Cabo Verde

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

Also within 20 km of Santa Maria

All 9 on Santa Maria's map

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

Santa Maria Sal Cabo Verde3
Santa Maria, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Adrião, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Ponta Preta

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

The spot faces W (251°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (71°). 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 50 m out (1 in 6). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hard and thick, like a slab. The sea is about 22°C in February, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Santa Maria, 2.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot, 2 wind sports spots and 4 dive sites.

Water about 27°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 20 h 05 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

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

    See flights ORD → SID · Skyscanner from about £415 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 35 min from the airport to Ponta Preta.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Santa MariaAd

    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 Santa Maria · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Santa Maria · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Ponta Preta on Google Maps · Directions

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

Ponta Preta does not suit beginners. 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

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct284 ft11 shollow339kJ31°C
Mon 19Oct163 ft5 shollow45kJ30°C
Tue 20Oct223 ft13 shollow334kJ30°C
Wed 21Oct314 ft10 shollow362kJ30°C
Thu 22Oct163 ft10 shollow130kJ30°C
Fri 23Oct103 ft5 shollow32kJ31°C
Sat 24Oct163 ft6 shollow64kJ31°C
Sun 25Oct426 ft7 shollow359kJ31°C
Mon 26Oct325 ft7 shollow224kJ31°C
Tue 27Oct164 ft5 shollow77kJ30°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 SID, changing at LIS, then 35 min by road. About 20h 05 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to SID, changing at LIS, then 35 min by road. About 20h 05 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Santa Maria each day: Ponta Preta, Santa Maria.

The trip from Santa Maria, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £860–£1,640 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 SID, estimated from distance and season, changing at LIS, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£415–£855
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£25–£45
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£165–£280
Food7 days eating out£155–£290
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£65–£105
Total£860–£1,640

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

Places to eat near Santa Maria

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.