
Surf Forecasts:
Faja da Areia surf forecast from 4 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 4 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period, NW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 5 Aug, 7PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 10s period, N swell with 122 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 4 Aug, 4AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period with NW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Faja da Areia this week:
The surf forecast for Faja da Areia over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 4AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 11s. Another secondary swell of 0.2m and 6s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Faja da Areia in the next 16 days are 0.8m 10s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 7PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 9s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 06) at 4AM.
| Wave Type | Time (WEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 4AM (Tue 4th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 4AM (Tue 4th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 7PM (Wed 5th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Faja da Areia over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at the next stretch. It's a bit of a slow burner, but there are a couple of pulses of energy waiting out there. We're focusing on Faja da Areia for this whole run, so keep that in mind.
The water's running a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, which is a nice little bonus. The first few days are going to be pretty quiet. Monday the 3rd through Wednesday the 5th are showing some small, clean surf in the morning, with that glassy feel you want. The swell is only around 2ft to 3ft with a weak energy reading (88 to 210). It’s surfable, but honestly, you'll be fighting for a wave that's barely breaking. You'd be better off using the time to clean your board and wax up. There's a small bump in period to 10 seconds on Wednesday, but the wind turns a little cross-on in the afternoon, so the window is tight.
Then it gets properly flat. Thursday the 6th through Tuesday the 11th is a real dead zone. The swell drops right off, with weak energy readings dropping below 100. On the 10th, we're looking at 1ft of swell (28) – that's not even a ripple. It’s about a five-day gap with nothing worth paddling out for. If you're a beginner, this is a good time to work on your pop-ups on the sand.
Things start to stir again on the 11th and 12th. We get some small glassy surf back, around 1ft to 3ft (61 to 172 energy). It's still pretty small, but the conditions are clean with light winds. Tuesday the 12th morning has a 3ft WNW swell with a 9-second period, and it's glassy. That could be a fun session if you're just keen to get wet, but it's not setting the world on fire. This period is really just a warm-up for what's coming.
Now, here's where we need to talk about a real shift. The forecast for Friday the 14th onwards starts to show a bump in size. The swell jumps to 6ft to 7ft, but it's coming from the NE with a short, weak period of 7 seconds. The energy readings get stronger (292 to 448), but that short period means it's going to be a bit lumpy and disorganised. The wind is also cross-on, so it won't be clean. Honestly, this looks more interesting for the kite crew than for us paddling. For the average surfer, it's going to be a bit of a mess.
But hold on. Sunday the 17th. That's the standout. The wind drops to glassy, and that NE swell builds to 6ft to 6ft with the period stretching out to 8 and then 9 seconds. The energy reading jumps up to a solid 444 to 490. This is a proper, clean swell with good shape potential on the point. Given the direction is NE and the optimum for this spot is NNW, it’s not perfect, but it's the best we're going to get. Monday morning looks prime. That's the day to clear your schedule.
After that, on Monday the 18th, the swell is still solid at 6ft to 6ft with energy readings up to 667, but the wind turns onshore and it starts to get a bit lumpy again. The window of opportunity is Sunday, plain and simple. Keep an eye on it, but remember, long-range calls like this are promising, not guaranteed.
So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off. The middle is small but clean. But make your plans for Sunday the 17th. That’s the one with real potential.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Tue morning, min 22°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Fri morning, min 19°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | ||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 10 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
70 | 105 | 88 | 58 | 96 | 109 | 107 | 115 | 117 | 106 | 78 | 74 | 74 | 89 | 89 | 90 | 61 | 54 | 64 | 36 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | on | on | on | on | on |
High Tide | 5:43PM2.02m | 6:09AM1.84m | 6:25PM1.91m | 6:56AM1.76m | 7:17PM1.79m | 7:56AM1.68m | 8:26PM1.67m | 9:13AM1.64m | 9:54PM1.62m | 10:40AM1.69m | 11:22PM1.68m | 11:56AM1.84m | 00:33AM1.80m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:57PM0.29m | 12:08PM0.40m | 00:40AM0.38m | 12:58PM0.49m | 1:34AM0.48m | 2:04PM0.59m | 2:44AM0.57m | 3:30PM0.62m | 4:12AM0.59m | 5:04PM0.55m | 5:34AM0.52m | 6:20PM0.39m | ||||||||
— | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | |
— | 9:05 | — | — | 9:04 | — | — | 9:02 | — | — | 9:01 | — | — | 9:00 | — | — | 9:00 | — | — | 9:00 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 24 | 29 | 29 | 25 | 29 | 29 | 23 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 29 | 29 | 23 | 27 | 27 | 22 | 26 | 26 | 21 |
Feels °C | 32 | 26 | 33 | 33 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 25 | 31 | 31 | 23 | 31 | 32 | 25 | 29 | 30 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 9 | NW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 9 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | N 10 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | N 10 | N 10 | NE 6 | NE 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 |
70 | 105 | 88 | 58 | 96 | 109 | 107 | 115 | 117 | 106 | 78 | 74 | 72 | 51 | 89 | 90 | 22 | 25 | 43 | 36 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 5 | NNE 6 | N 8 | WNW 10 | NNW 10 | N 11 | N 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | N 9 | N 10 | NE 6 | NE 6 | N 9 | N 9 | NE 7 | N 9 |
6 | 3 | 6 | 34 | 10 | 59 | 98 | 105 | 66 | 65 | 46 | 44 | 74 | 89 | 39 | 30 | 61 | 42 | 23 | 13 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 8 | N 8 | S 12 | N 8 | NNW 8 | NW 7 | S 12 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | WNW 9 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | WNW 8 | N 10 | N 9 | NNW 9 |
12 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 44 | 39 | 26 | 36 | 22 | 2 | 25 | 8 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 2 | ENE 3 | E 5 | E 6 | ENE 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | — | — | — | — | NW 4 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NE 7 |
— | — | 7 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 17 | 24 | 43 | 70 | — | — | — | — | 7 | 54 | 64 | 16 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 17 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Madeira | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Portugal | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Faja da Areia Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Faja da Areia provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Faja da Areia can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Faja da Areia surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Faja da Areia) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Faja da Areia may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Faja da Areia is 21 km (13 miles) from the city of Camara de Lobos. If you plan a holiday in Madeira, look for hotels and other accommodation in Camara de Lobos. Camara de Lobos has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











