BEACH & SEA FLOOR GUIDE // Porto Santo IslandBeginner / Longboard / Fun
Porto Santo · 9 km de Areia Dourada — Reef Mechanics, Channels & Wind Shadow
The archipelago's best-kept secret: whenever an East/Southeast swell hits or a big NW swell wraps around Ponta da Calheta, prevailing North winds groom 9 km of golden sandbars.
TAKEOFF CAUTION: STEEP DROP OVER SHALLOW BOTTOM. WATCH YOUR DEPTH ON WIPEOUTS.
Beginner / Longboard / Fun · Max 3m
Swell: 0.8m – 2.5m
SWELL WINDOW
SE / E / S ou Grande NW que contorna o Ilhéu de Baixo
Angle: 80° – 210°
WIND SHADOW & SHELTER
N / NW / W (Vento Norte Alisa Toda a Praia de 9 km) (Offshore)
Trade Wind & Orographic Shelter
SUBSTRATE & DEPTH
100% Soft Golden Carbonate Sand
Golden-Sand Multi-Peak Beachbreak
SWELL CAPTURE (BLUE) & WIND SHADOW (EMERALD) COMPASS
Swell: 287° (WNW) · Wind: 345° (NNW)
HYDROGRAPHIC REFRACTION, TAKEOFF & EXIT CHANNEL PROFILE
Beach & Reef Bottom ProfileWave Dynamics (Beach Break): Long-period groundswell trains (11s+) undergo immediate refraction upon contacting the submarine volcanic shelf, concentrating 175 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
100% golden-sand entry across the 9 km beach. Prevailing North/Northwest winds blow straight offshore into the beachbreak peaks!
Max High Tide: {tide}m: 2.10m•Min Low Tide: {tide}m: 0.40m
2. LOCAL WATER HAZARDS
- •Light shorebreak at high tide near Cabeço da Ponta
- •Check swell height before traveling (often calm lake-like conditions in summer)
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