Conditions at Porto da Cruz in April
April: Spring Pulses and Cleaner Windows
April marks the beginning of the fair season. Average swell height is a solid 7ft (2.1m) with an average period of 11.2s, so there is still plenty of punch. The distribution shifts toward the north: NNW is huge at 32.1% and NW is 19.0%, while N/NNE totals about 17%, meaning Porto da Cruz sees a lot of angled, bathymetric swell. This is a month of inconsistent windows; the S/SW offshore flow occurs only 19% of the time, but when fronts stall west of Madeira, the wind clocks around to S/SW and the N-NE fetch lines up. In those windows, waves are clean and solidly in the 5-7ft (1.5-2.1m) range. Water temperature warms to 18.2°C, air averages 17.1°C, and precipitation drops to 0.76mm/day, bringing more sunny gaps between systems.
Average Spot conditions at Porto da Cruz in April
Swell history for April
Wind history for April
Swell quality
Analyze the groundswell consistency at Porto da Cruz during April. Based on historical data, there is a % probability of groundswell occurring this month. The chart below provides a detailed breakdown of the average wave height distribution, offering deep insights into the swell quality and surf potential you can expect at Porto da Cruz for your next trip in April.
Ground swell
Ground swell by size
Wind conditions
Evaluate the wind and swell alignment at Porto da Cruz for April. Our analysis shows that favorable offshore or side-shore winds coincide with surfable swell approximately % of the time. The accompanying graph illustrates the average size distribution of waves during these optimal wind windows at Porto da Cruz.