Ponta do Pargo

Tucked away at the rugged, westernmost tip of Madeira, Ponta do Pargo is a wild and rarely-ridden, right-hand point break that peels over a treacherous bed of boulders. Its discovery is a quiet footnote in surf history—first pioneered by Portuguese surfers To Gama, Tiago Oliveira, Miguel Fortes, and a few others—and it has remained largely untouched ever since. This is a raw, exclusive wave for the adventurous few.

Best Surf Season (October - March)

The North Atlantic is in full roar from October through March, making this the clear window for chasing waves at Ponta do Pargo. Average open-ocean swell runs 6-9ft (1.8-2.7m) with periods of 11.5-12.9s, driven by a parade of extratropical cyclones along the mid-Atlantic storm track. Because the spot faces west, the W, WSW, WNW and NW groundswells that dominate this period hit the coast with maximum exposure and power. Ideal offshore winds from the E/ENE/ESE/SE quadrants occur 35-45% of the time, often in the high-pressure wake of passing fronts, which is why the winter months deliver the most high-quality surf. This is the time to book a swell trip.