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Faial Surf Guide

Faial in Madeira is a fairly exposed reef break that has unreliable waves. Autumn and winter are the favoured times of year for waves. The best wind direction is from the southwest. Tends to receive a mix of groundswells and windswells and the ideal swell angle is from the north northwest. There is a left hand reef break. Best around mid tide. It very rarely gets crowded here. Submerged rocks are a hazard.

Faial Spot Info

Type:Rating:
Icon reef  redReefIcon  s33.0
Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
inconsistent
19.3°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Faial:

The best conditions reported for surf at Faial occur when a North-northwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Southwest.

Surf Forecasts:

What's the best time of year to surf Faial (for consistent clean waves)?

octoberBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing Faial with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of October. Clean surfable waves are typically found 27% of the time in October while 48% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 25% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
27%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
48%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
25%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Faial Location Map

Interactive Faial surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The nearest passenger airport to Faial is Porto Santo Airport (PXO) in Madeira, which is 56 km (35 miles) away (directly). The second closest airport to Faial is La Palma (Santa Cruz De La Palma) Airport (SPC) in Spain, 471 km (293 miles) away.

Icon breakBreak
Icon legend buoysLive Wave Height (m)
Icon legend windLive Wind Speed (km/h)
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Map placeholder
Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Faial Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 30 March 2023, 22:29 Local Time
ThuFriday 31
10PM1AM4AM7AM
Wave (m)
2.3
WNW
2.3
WNW
2.2
WNW
2.1
WNW
Period (s) 12 12 12 12
Wind (km/h)
5
5
5
10
Wind State cross-
on
on cross-
on
on

Swell History at Faial

Surf stats for Faial, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Faial

Wind stats for Faial, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.

Other Nearby Breaks Closest To:

Discover surf breaks near Faial. Click below to view there surf guides.


Wave Buoys Nearest To Faial: