Ria Formosa

Best Surf Season (October - March)

Ria Formosa is a picky southwest-facing stretch of sand, and the surf really comes alive when the North Atlantic starts producing long-period groundswell. From October through March, average wave heights climb to around 3ft (0.9-1m) and average periods sit in the 10-12s range, with offshore wind windows improving to 23-33 percent. The wave roses still show plenty of west and northwest energy, but the magic happens when lows track close enough to the Algarve to send S, SSW, SW and WSW swell into the coast. A classic post-frontal setup, with high pressure building from the Azores and a bite of northeasterly wind, is what makes this stretch fire. In winters when the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) turns negative, the storm track shifts south toward Portugal and the odds of quality WSW/SW groundswell increase dramatically. Remember that southwest wind is bad but southwest swell is good: one is local and one is distant storm energy.