Pico da Mota

Best Surf Season (October - March)

The North Atlantic roars to life during October and the action stays intense through March at Pico da Mota. With the beach facing northwest, the long open ocean fetch is perfectly positioned to catch the powerful WNW, NW and NNW swells that roll out of the winter storm track. Average swell heights through this window range from 7-9ft (2.1-2.8m) and periods sit in the powerful 11-13s band, especially from December through February. The dream setup arrives when negative NAO phases push the jet stream south and low pressure systems track toward Portugal, sending long-period Atlantic groundswell straight into the coast. The wind becomes the great filter: the ideal offshore S/SSW/SW/WSW breezes are most common in December - 31% of the time - and still hold near 30% in January. When the combination locks in, Pico da Mota can produce clean, hollow, grinding surf that stacks up well above the 6ft mark.