Fontana Surf Guide

Fontana in Sal is an exposed reef break that has inconsistent surf. Winter is the favoured time of year for surfing here. The best wind direction is from the east southeast. Tends to receive a mix of groundswells and windswells and the best swell direction is from the west northwest. A right hand reef break. Unlikely to be too crowded, even when the surf is up.

Fontana Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef2inconsistent
22.5°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Fontana:

The best conditions reported for surf at Fontana occur when a West-northwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the East-southeast.

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

januaryBest Season: winter
The best time of year for surfing Fontana with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter  and most often the month of January. Clean surfable waves are typically found 23% of the time in January while 38% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 39% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
23%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
38%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
39%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Fontana Location Map

Interactive Fontana 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 closest passenger airport to Fontana is Amilcar Cabral International Airport (SID) in Cape Verde Islands, 4 km (2 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Fontana is Rabil (Boa Vista) Airport (BVC), also in Cape Verde Islands, 68 km (42 miles) away.

  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Fontana Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Saturday, 9 May 2026, 03:12 Local Time
Saturday 09
2AM5AM8AM11AM
Wave (m)
1.3
NNE
1.3
NNE
1.3
NNE
1.3
NNE
Period (s) 8 8 8 7
Wind (km/h)
30
25
20
20
Wind State cross cross cross-
off
cross-
off

Swell History at Fontana

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

Wind History at Fontana

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


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