Santa Maria – Praia Formosa Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(The Azores, Portugal)

Forecast
- Hourly Forecast
- 16 Day Forecast
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Live
Weather State
Spot Information

Santa Maria - Praia Formosa Surf Guide

Santa Maria - Praia Formosa in The Azores is an exposed beach and reef break that has very consistent surf and works all around the year. The best wind direction is from the north northeast. Tends to receive a mix of groundswells and windswells and the best swell direction is from the south southeast. Waves at the beach break both left and right and primariliy right reef breaks. Sometimes crowded. Hazards include rocks, rips.

Santa Maria - Praia Formosa Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach and reef	3	very consistent	17.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Santa Maria - Praia Formosa:

The best conditions reported for surf at Santa Maria - Praia Formosa occur when a South-southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the North-northeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Santa Maria - Praia Formosa (for consistent clean waves)?

augustBest Season: summer

The best time of year for surfing Santa Maria - Praia Formosa with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Summer and most often the month of August. Clean surfable waves are typically found 15% of the time in August while 16% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 69% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

15%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

16%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

69%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Santa Maria - Praia Formosa Location Map

Interactive Santa Maria - Praia Formosa 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 Santa Maria - Praia Formosa is Santa Maria Airport (SMA) in Acores, which is 7 km (4 miles) away (directly). The second closest airport to Santa Maria - Praia Formosa is Ponta Delgada Airport (PDL), also in Acores, 103 km (64 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)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Santa Maria - Praia Formosa Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 16:05 Local Time

m, °C	Tuesday 05			Wed
ft, °F	3PM	6PM	9PM	0AM
Wave (m)	ESE	ESE	ESE	ESE
Period (s)	5	5	6	6
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	off	cross- off	off	off

Tides at Santa Maria - Praia Formosa

Current tide and informaton

For Vila do Porto, Santa Maria, Azores, 5 km from Santa Maria - Praia Formosa.

Next High Water: 04:26pm | 1.49m

Next Low Water: 10:36pm | 0.55m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Santa Maria - Praia Formosa Sea Temperature

The water temperature (17.0 °C) at Santa Maria - Praia Formosa is relatively warm. If the sun does come out as forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a summer wetsuit. Effective air temperature of 13.0 °C.

Today, many surfers would wear a summer wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 17.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite