BEACH & SEA FLOOR GUIDE // Sheltered Southeast CoastBeginner / Longboard
Baía de Machico · São Roque — Reef Mechanics, Channels & Wind Shadow
The 24/7 Machico Bay webcam shows clearly when East/Northeast groundswell lines wrap into the bay.
TAKEOFF CAUTION: STEEP DROP OVER SHALLOW BOTTOM. WATCH YOUR DEPTH ON WIPEOUTS.
Beginner / Longboard · Max 4m
Swell: 1.2m – 3.5m
SWELL WINDOW
ENE / E / SE ou Grande NNE que dobra a Ponta de São Lourenço
Angle: 25° – 135°
WIND SHADOW & SHELTER
NW / W / N (Offshore na Baía de Machico) (Offshore)
Trade Wind & Orographic Shelter
SUBSTRATE & DEPTH
Dark Sand Bottom & Rounded Cobblestones
Mellow Bay Peelers at São Roque & River Mouth
SWELL CAPTURE (BLUE) & WIND SHADOW (EMERALD) COMPASS
Swell: 203° (SSW) · Wind: 315° (NW)
HYDROGRAPHIC REFRACTION, TAKEOFF & EXIT CHANNEL PROFILE
Beach & Reef Bottom ProfileWave Dynamics (Sand / Reef): Long-period groundswell trains (9s+) undergo immediate refraction upon contacting the submarine volcanic shelf, concentrating 50 kJ of wave energy onto the takeoff bowl while peeling cleanly. The adjacent entry channel drains water smoothly without dragging surfers into the impact zone.
1. GOLDEN ENTRY & EXIT PROTOCOL
Effortless entry off the sandy beach or boat ramp along the São Roque promenade. The #1 call on the island when a big NNE/NE swell maxes out Porto da Cruz.
Max High Tide: {tide}m: 2.10m•Min Low Tide: {tide}m: 0.40m
2. LOCAL WATER HAZARDS
- •Often flat without East-quadrant swell or large North wrap
- •Watch for cobbles on the outer São Roque corner at dead low tide
EXPLORE TECHNICAL DOSSIERS FOR OTHER SPOTS (ALL 19 SPOTS)
19 Monitored SpotsJardim do Marmad
0.9m @ 13s315 kJ
Paul do Marmad
0.9m @ 12s310 kJ
Ponta Pequenamad
0.8m @ 12s250 kJ
Cabo Girãomad
0.6m @ 12s145 kJ
Contreiras / Janelamad
1.2m @ 12s505 kJ
Fajã da Areiamad
1.0m @ 12s360 kJ
Seixalmad
0.8m @ 12s280 kJ
Maiatamad
0.9m @ 11s250 kJ
Alagoa (Porto da Cruz)mad
0.9m @ 11s250 kJ
Machicomad
0.3m @ 12s45 kJ
Porto Santomad
0.6m @ 11s135 kJ
Nazarépor
3.8m @ 16s4865 kJ
Supertubospor
2.1m @ 14s1985 kJ
Ribeira d'Ilhaspor
1.8m @ 14s1445 kJ
Pipeline (Oahu)haw
2.5m @ 16s3040 kJ
Waikiki Canoeshaw
1.1m @ 14s515 kJ
La Jolla / Scrippscal
1.4m @ 14s780 kJ
Huntington Piercal
1.5m @ 13s880 kJ
Steamer Lanecal
2.2m @ 15s2260 kJ