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Comporta

Setúbal · Sado Estuary

also known as Praia da Comporta

Part of Lagoa de Albufeira →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

not for beginnersmedium crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Apr–Oct

Months riders and schools name

How windy

8-20

Character: mixed

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

20–22 °C in summerOpen Atlantic sand, not a confirmed flat-water lagoon

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Intermediate to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Jun Jul Aug Sep

Schools

none named here

From the airport

Lisbon Airport (LIS)

Transfer times under Getting there

When it fills in

Thermal-reinforced Nortada, driven by the Iberian heat low, so it builds through the day rather than blowing at dawn. The local fill-in hour has no measurement; treat the timing as indicative.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Tróia
Carvalhalno page yet
São Torpesno page yet

The spot

Comporta is an open Atlantic beach, not a beginner lagoon. Praia da Comporta runs wide and sandy at the southern end of the Tróia Peninsula, inside the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve, with dunes, pine forest and rice fields behind the sand.

Wind

The useful wind is NW to W Nortada at 8-20 knots, cross-on to side-shore, and it is thinner here than at the better-known Portuguese kite beaches. Expect chop and small waves, and a livelier sea as soon as Atlantic swell arrives.

Kite riding

A national championship stage ran here in 2004, so the beach has kite history; what it does not have is a resident school or any rescue arranged for kiters.

Come April to September, watch the forecast from Lisbon and drive down when it fills in, rather than booking a week here and hoping. Skip it if you need lessons or dependable flat water.

The wind

locals call it Nortada

Direction

cross-onNW-W

Direction to shore

cross-on

Kite sizes

67891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider, with no local measurement: 12-14 m at the light 10-14 knot end, 9-12 m on a proper Nortada afternoon of 15-20, 8 m if it gets past 25.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Thermal or synoptic

thermal

Typical strength

8-20

Less consistent than Portugal's better-known northern lagoon and wind spots; works when the NW/W flow reaches the beach cleanly.

The long empty-beach days come with NW Nortada, and the wind is less consistent than at the spots farther north. The season is usually given as March-September, with April-September as the best window; an extension to May-October is unconfirmed, so October is not treated as core season here.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan30
Feb41
Mar55
Apr, riders' month72
May, riders' month83
Jun, riders' month87
Jul, riders' month92
Aug, riders' month85
Sep, riders' month66
Oct, riders' month54
Nov40
Dec37

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.

10 ktJan16°
11 ktFeb15°
13 ktMar15°
13 ktApr16°
14 ktMay17°
13 ktJun19°
14 ktJul19°
14 ktAug18°
13 ktSep18°
12 ktOct19°
11 ktNov18°
11 ktDec17°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Force 4+	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	30%	10.3 kt	ENE	12.5 °C	15.6 °C
Feb	41%	10.9 kt	E	13.1 °C	15.4 °C
Mar	55%	12.5 kt	NNW	14.1 °C	15.3 °C
Apr	72%	12.8 kt	NNW	16.5 °C	16.4 °C
May	83%	13.7 kt	NNW	18.8 °C	16.6 °C
Jun	87%	13.4 kt	NNW	20.8 °C	18.8 °C
Jul	92%	13.5 kt	NNW	22.7 °C	18.5 °C
Aug	85%	13.6 kt	NNW	22.8 °C	17.5 °C
Sep	66%	12.8 kt	NNW	20.7 °C	17.5 °C
Oct	54%	12.2 kt	SW	19.3 °C	19 °C
Nov	40%	10.7 kt	NNE	16.2 °C	17.8 °C
Dec	37%	10.6 kt	ENE	13.3 °C	16.6 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2022-2024

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

No dependable standing area. This is a moderately exposed Atlantic beach on a 3.5 m tidal range, so depth close in moves with the tide and the shorebreak, and no measured walk-out distance exists.

Tides

Mesotidal Atlantic coast with a 3.5 m tidal range, classed as moderately exposed. Surf records have the beach working at all tide stages; the effect of the tide on a kite launch here is unconfirmed.

Temperature

20–22 °C summer · 14–16 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 15–19 °C

Wetsuit

Summer: 2 mm shorty/springsuit or 3/2 if windy; winter: 4/3 or 3/2 with boots depending on cold tolerance.

Conditions

Open Atlantic sand, not a confirmed flat-water lagoon. The normal state is chop and small waves, turning into a beach break as swell rises. The beach is broad, backed by dunes, with pine forest and rice fields behind, and it sits inside the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for beginners here

Open-beach records put Comporta at chop or small waves with some Atlantic swell, and the level needed at intermediate. A progressing rider who is already independent can handle the small days. The flat-water learning claim is disputed and there is no local school and no rescue setup.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat water learningfreeridesmall-wave ridingquiet beach sessionswatching/occasional kite sessions near Comporta

Quiet and spacious outside the peak beach days. In summer Comporta fills with a well-heeled beach crowd, and the restaurants and boutique places behind the dunes are priced for it.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

No school names this spot

Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

10 spots nearby

All 10 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

Praia da Comporta is a qualified bathing beach with assistance to bathers required through the 2026 season, 30 May to 30 September. Nothing kite-specific: no rescue boat and no cover arranged for kiters. Emergencies at sea go to 112 or the maritime authority on 214 401 919, and the Setubal port captaincy is on 265 548 271.

Launch

Wide sandy Atlantic beach, 80 to 110 m of sand, with good public access and shaded parking, a beach support with bar and restaurant, toilets and accessible facilities. Rig and launch well away from the swimmers, the concession, the dune vegetation and the marked bathing area.

Hazards riders report 10 reported

Wind

possible side-offshore wind
offshore easterly wind is good for surfing but unsuitable for kitesurfing without boat cover
less consistent wind than better-known Portuguese kite spots, increasing the risk of marginal sessions

Crowds and zones

no kite-specific rescue, and lifeguard cover only inside the bathing season
swimmers/beachgoers near main access
swimmers and beachgoers in the official 2026 bathing season and summer weekends

Waves and currents

stronger Atlantic exposure and shorebreak on the ocean-facing side
open Atlantic shorebreak, chop and small waves when swell is up

Protected areas and rules

fishing boats near lagoon edges
protected dunes and Sado Estuary Nature Reserve surroundings require staying on established access routes

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: no kite-specific permit, zone or seasonal ban has been found. Kitesurfing is an accepted activity at this beach alongside surf, bodyboard and sport fishing.

Praia da Comporta is a qualified 2026 bathing beach from 30 May to 30 September, with assistance to bathers required in that period, and it is Blue Flag and inside the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve.

On the day the posted edital, the flags, the lifeguard instructions and the marked dune access routes are what count.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Check swell as well as wind: the beach turns from manageable chop into a real shorebreak when Atlantic swell fills in.
Park at the main beach access, then walk well clear of the swimmers and the concessions before you pump.
Treat easterly offshore days as surf-only unless you have boat cover you have actually arranged.
Bring everything you need. There is no Comporta-based kitesurf school and no rental, so there is nothing on the sand to borrow.
If you want flat water with real school infrastructure, compare Lagoa de Óbidos or Lagoa de Albufeira instead of assuming Comporta has the same setup.

Getting there

Airport

Lisbon Airport (LIS)

Route

Drive from Lisbon via the A2/A12 and Alcácer do Sal roads, or go via Setúbal and the Tróia ferry/catamaran then continue south along the peninsula. Public transport is possible but indirect and slower.

Transfer

75-95 by car depending on route and traffic; about 150-190 minutes by public transport and ferry combinations.

Cost level

high

Staying

Boutique hotels, villas and upscale rural stays dominate around Comporta; cheaper bases are more likely in Grândola, Setúbal or farther down the Alentejo coast.

No-wind days

surf lessons · beach walks · Sado Estuary birdwatching · dolphin-watching or boat trips from Setúbal/Tróia · Tróia Roman ruins · restaurants and rice-field/pine-forest walks

Photos

FAQ

Is Comporta suitable for beginners?

Comporta is rated for intermediate and advanced riders; it is an open Atlantic beach with chop and small waves rather than a flat-water lagoon, and no local kite school was confirmed.

When is the best time to kitesurf at Comporta?

The main season runs April to September, with a thermal NW-W Nortada that is less consistent than Portugal's better-known kite spots.

What is the wind like at Comporta?

Wind comes mainly from the northwest to west, cross-onshore, generally in the 8-20 knot range.

Are there rules or restrictions?

No kite-specific permit was verified for 2026, but the beach has official lifeguard coverage from 30 May to 30 September and riders should follow posted signage.

The bigger pictureEverything about Lagoa de Albufeira

Last updated: August 2026