Cave

Best Surf Season (October - March)

The surf year at Cave is built around the North Atlantic storm track. From October through March the Azores High relaxes, the Icelandic Low deepens and a seemingly endless conveyor of extratropical cyclones rolls toward the Portuguese coast. When the North Atlantic Oscillation trends neutral or negative, those storm tracks dip south toward Iberia and the percentage of direct W and SW swell increases significantly. That seasonal shift pushes the average swell height up to 7.5-8.5ft (2.3-2.6m) with 12-13s periods, delivering the powerful, long-period groundswells this southwest-facing beach is made for. East and northeast offshore winds - the key ingredient for clean conditions - are present 24-28% of the time, and the biggest days are heavy, pumping and occasionally XL. Water temperatures hover around 14-15°C, so a solid winter wetsuit and a step-up quiver are essential.