Zavial Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(The Algarve, Portugal)

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Zavial Surf Guide

Zavial in Algarve is a fairly exposed beach break that only works once in a while. Winter is the best time of year for surfing here. Ideal winds are from the northwest. Tends to receive distant groundswells and the best swell direction is from the south southwest. Waves at the beach break both left and right. Best around mid tide. Rarely crowded here. Surfing here means negotiating dangerous rips.

Zavial Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Point	2	inconsistent	17.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Zavial:

The best conditions reported for surf at Zavial occur when a South-southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

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

marchBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Zavial with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of March. Clean surfable waves are typically found 1% of the time in March while 2% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 97% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

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

blown out

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

too small

97%

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

Explore Zavial Location Map

Interactive Zavial 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 Zavial is Faro Airport (FAO) in Acores, which is 81 km (50 miles) away (directly). The second closest airport to Zavial is Lisboa (Lisbon) Airport (LIS) in Portugal, 194 km (120 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.

Zavial Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Thursday, 28 May 2026, 07:22 Local Time

m, °C	Thursday 28
ft, °F	4AM	7AM	10AM	1PM
Wave (m)	WNW	ESE	WNW	WNW
Period (s)	10	6	10	10
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross	off	cross	glass

What does Zavial look like?

Latest photos from Zavial. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Asierto Credit: Asierto Credit: Asierto Credit: PORTIZPHOTO Credit: PORTIZPHOTO

Tides at Zavial

Current tide and informaton

For Salema, 5 km from Zavial.

Next High Water: 01:29pm | 2.51m

Next Low Water: 07:37pm | 0.56m

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

Zavial Sea Temperature

Sunny with pleasantly warm air temperatures (feeling like 22.0 °C once we account for wind), yet at 17.2 °C the sea remains several degrees colder than the air at Zavial. The majority of surfers will need a spring wetsuit though a summer suit or even a shorty may suffice for a short session.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 17.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

View Sea Temp Map

Swell History at Zavial

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

Average Swell

View Swell Statistics

Wind History at Zavial

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

Average Wind

View Wind Statistics

Zavial Reviews:

Interactive Porthcawl Point location map. View nearby buoy information, live wind conditions and surrounding roads, paths and locations to help find new breaks. Click the buoys or wind icon to view more information.

Ratings

Based on 4 votes.

Overall:2.0
Quality on a good day:3.7
Consistency of Surf:3.0
Difficulty Level:4.3
Wind and Kite Surfing:2.0
Crowds:2.7
...

See all 18 ratings

Review

Impartial reviews submitted by Surf-Forecast users.

Shorty from The Netherlands

“Cool spot, sh*t locals.
After paddling out and wanting to say hello to the guys in the water. First answer: "f*ck off, locals only".
Same of the spot”

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