Portugal · Atlantic Europe
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Create Profile →Current conditions refresh every 3 hours when the cron runs. Hourly data updates every 30 minutes. The 7-day forecast, luck factor, and packing notes are all pre-computed at the same time.
We compare the 7-day forecast to the last 5 years of marine data for the same week at Santa Cruz. The delta tells you whether conditions are shaping up better, worse, or about the same as a typical early July.
We score each day of the 7-day forecast using the same algorithm as the leaderboard, and highlight the highest scorer.
Open-Meteo's Marine API (swell height, period, water temperature) and Weather API (wind and conditions).
Honestly, no. Every break has tide windows, swell directions and reef contours that a global model cannot see. Treat the score as a starting point, then check a local cam.
The best week for surf at Santa Cruz is the week of 16 November (score 3/5) with low crowds.
Moderate swell providing fun waves for a session. Short-period wind swell: expect weak, crumbly faces. Moderate wind adding texture to the faces. Best conditions early morning before the sea breeze arrives.
Heads up: rip risk elevated, and jellyfish: peak season.
Indicators derived from forecast data, not official warnings. Always check local lifeguard or official advice.
The air here is 54% cleaner than the average comparison city right now.
Noticeably cleaner air than a typical city. Good conditions for prolonged outdoor activity.
Not a pollutant. Ozone is naturally higher at altitude and near the coast, and lower in cities where traffic exhaust breaks it down. High readings here typically indicate clean air. Can cause short-term airway irritation during intense exercise but is not linked to the long-term health risks of particulate pollution.
Additive health score: each pollutant contributes points relative to its WHO 2021 guideline and long-term health impact (PM2.5 9, NO₂ 5, O₃ 3, PM10 2, SO₂ 1 at WHO limits). Data via Open-Meteo. City markers show live readings. Red line marks the WHO guideline. Updated 21:00
Moderate water clarity: ~4m visibility
This guide was generated from conditions data. Know this spot? Submit your own tips below.
Santa Cruz is a beach break town on Portugal's Silver Coast (Costa de Prata), north of Ericeira. The main beach faces west-northwest into the Atlantic, flanked by dramatic rock formations. It produces consistent, quality beach break waves with occasional reef influence from the rocky outcrops. Less famous than Peniche or Ericeira but delivers similar quality with fewer people. The town retains a local Portuguese character.
Picks up any north-westerly Atlantic swell. A south-easterly wind is offshore. Works on all tides with mid-tide often best. Consistent year-round. The 3-6ft range is ideal. Handles bigger swells due to the deep bay. Summer has smaller but rideable waves.
The main beach has multiple peaks. The sections near the rock formations tend to produce more defined waves from the reef influence. The sandy middle section is more straightforward. Walk the beach to identify the best banks.
Rock formations in the shallows at either end. Rip currents on bigger days. The rock sections demand awareness at lower tides. Sandy bottom through the middle is forgiving.
Pay car park above the beach. Steps and paths down to the sand. The town has facilities including restaurants and a few surf-related businesses. Less developed than the main tourist spots.
Quieter than Ericeira or Peniche. Santa Cruz serves a smaller local community. Good days see 10-20 people. The relative obscurity keeps numbers manageable. A friendly, local atmosphere.
Santa Cruz is the insider's option between Ericeira and Peniche. Similar wave quality, significantly fewer people. The town has authentic Portuguese restaurants with local prices. The rock formations (especially Penedo do Guinchoat) create dramatic scenery and interesting wave patterns. Combine with Ericeira (20 minutes south) for variety.
Surf at Santa Cruz
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Daily scores over the last 12 months at Santa Cruz
Based on historical weekly averages
Conditions at Santa Cruz tend to be best between 07:00 to 10:00 in July.
Average score during this window: 43/100
See timing scores, school holiday busyness, and lift pass pricing to find the best time to book.
View Best Time to Go →Combining historical conditions with school holiday crowd pressure to find the sweet spot.
The timing score combines two signals: historical conditions quality (how good the skiing or surfing typically is in a given week, based on 5 years of weather data) and crowd pressure (how many of this destination's feeder markets have school holidays that week).
Crowd pressure is weighted by each feeder country's share of visitors. If 40% of a resort's visitors come from France and France is on holiday, that contributes 0.40 to the crowd pressure score. Crowds can reduce the timing score by up to 35%, ensuring conditions still matter most.
Scores: 5 = great conditions with low crowds (the sweet spot). 4 = great conditions with moderate crowds, or good conditions with low crowds. 3 = average. 2 = below average conditions or very crowded. 1 = poor conditions or peak holiday chaos.
Last 31 days of logged conditions.
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