Map › Portugal › Alentejo — Lagoa de Santo André / Praia da Costa de Santo André to Praia do Pego › Lagoa de Santo André / Praia da Costa de Santo André
Alentejo · Santo André, Santiago do Cacém · Setúbal · Santiago do Cacém
Lagoa de Santo André / Praia da Costa de Santo André
also known as Lagoa de San Andre, Praia de Santo André
Nearby Melides 4 km · Praia de São Torpes 20 km · Praia do Pego 22 km · Praia do Carvalhal 23 km · Comporta 33 km · Praia do Malhão 34 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
The Nortada is a thermal, so it builds through the day rather than blowing at dawn: mornings are usually the light part and the afternoon is the working window. Derived from the wind's thermal character; no onset time has been recorded for this beach.
The wind
locals call it Nortada
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
thermal
fills in: The Nortada is a thermal, so it builds through the day rather than blowing at dawn: mornings are usually the light part and the afternoon is the working window. Derived from the wind's thermal character; no onset time has been recorded for this beach.
Typical strength
No measurement at the beach. The long-run station at the nearest port averages 9 knots over the year with gusts averaging 17 and a mean 1.9 m northwest swell, taken across 2002 to 2022. That is an all-hours, all-seasons coastal average and not what a summer Nortada afternoon does. Regional and indicative.
The quiver, in words
No local record. On a built-in summer Nortada afternoon a 75-85 kg rider is usually on 8 to 10 m along this coast, with a 12 m for soft days and the shoulder season. Indicative, carried over from the Nortada beaches up and down the Alentejo rather than measured at Santo Andre.
Direction to shore
The beach faces west-southwest onto the open Atlantic, so the northwesterly Nortada comes in over your right shoulder as you look at the water, side-onshore, with the swell running in underneath it. Derived from the run of the coastline; nobody has published the angle at this beach.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan43
- Feb45
- Mar54
- Apr54
- May71
- Jun70
- Jul66
- Aug66
- Sep58
- Oct48
- Nov43
- Dec41
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
- 11Jan16°
- 12Feb16°
- 13Mar15°
- 12Apr16°
- 13May17°
- 13Jun19°
- 12Jul18°
- 12Aug17°
- 12Sep18°
- 12Oct19°
- 11Nov18°
- 11Dec17°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43% | 11.2 kt | E | 12.8°C | 15.8°C |
| Feb | 45% | 11.5 kt | ESE | 13.5°C | 15.5°C |
| Mar | 54% | 12.6 kt | NW | 14.3°C | 15.4°C |
| Apr | 54% | 12.3 kt | NNW | 16.7°C | 16.3°C |
| May | 71% | 12.9 kt | NW | 19°C | 16.7°C |
| Jun | 70% | 12.9 kt | NNW | 20.9°C | 18.7°C |
| Jul | 66% | 12 kt | NNW | 22.7°C | 18.2°C |
| Aug | 66% | 12.2 kt | NNW | 22.9°C | 17°C |
| Sep | 58% | 11.7 kt | NNW | 20.8°C | 17.6°C |
| Oct | 48% | 12 kt | SW | 19.7°C | 19.1°C |
| Nov | 43% | 10.9 kt | N | 16.4°C | 17.9°C |
| Dec | 41% | 10.6 kt | E | 13.5°C | 16.7°C |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
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. 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
waves
Standing depth
Nothing published for the ocean side, and it is not a stand-up spot: open Atlantic beach, shorebreak, deep water close in. The flat shallow water is inside the lagoon, and the lagoon is closed to kites.
Tides
Atlantic tide, two highs and two lows a day. At the nearest port gauge, about 20 km south, springs run from roughly 0.5 m to roughly 3.6 m, a range near 3 m; neaps move only about 0.7 m, between roughly 1.6 m and 2.4 m.The beach and the shorebreak change a lot between low and high water on a spring.
Temperature
18°C summer · 15.5°C winter
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
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
Somewhere else
Melides, 4 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Launch only from the ocean-facing beach beyond the dune bar. The lagoon and its shoreline are closed to kiting and windsurfing as part of the nature reserve. Praia da Costa de Santo André, the lagoon-side beach near the village, has showers, restaurants and parking, but it is set up for swimming.
Space
huge
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Kite the ocean beach beyond the dune bar and never the lagoon; the reserve closes it to kites and windsurfers.
- Use the village beach for parking, showers and food, and rig on the ocean side of the dune bar.
- Treat it as an opportunity session when you are already on this coast, not as the reason to drive out.
- Expect Atlantic shorebreak and an empty beach, so ride with someone.
Getting there
Route
One asphalt road runs down through the reserve and ends at the sea. Santiago do Cacem is the nearest town; the port of Sines is about 20 km south. Three large beaches sit inside the reserve area.
Photos
FAQ
Is kitesurfing allowed at Lagoa de Santo André?
Kitesurfing and windsurfing are forbidden inside the lagoon itself because it is a protected nature reserve; only the ocean side is rideable, and kites are rarely seen there.
What is the wind like?
The ocean side gets a NW Nortada thermal similar to nearby Comporta/Carvalhal, generating waves.
Last updated: August 2026