Praia de Monte Gordo

Best Surf Season (November - February)

The Azores High retreats and the North Atlantic storm track flexes its muscles, putting Praia de Monte Gordo squarely in the firing line for south and southeast groundswell wrapping into the Gulf of Cádiz. December leads the pack with an average swell height near 0.9m (3ft), while January and February maintain solid 0.8m (2.6ft) averages and the longest periods of the year at 7.8-8.1 seconds. Clean offshore flow becomes the rule, with N/NNW/NW wind percentages pushing ideal surf windows to 43-46 percent. This is when the beach's south-facing orientation works best: seasonal lows southwest of Iberia send SE, SSE, S and SSW swell straight through the open window, and the west-northwest offshore wind grooms faces to glassy perfection.