Melides
Setúbal · Alentejo coast, south of Comporta
also known as Praia de Melides
Part of Santo André – Praia do Pego, Alentejo →
Riding essentials
Season
May–Sep
Months riders and schools name
How windy
16-28
Character: thermal
Room to launch
huge
access rules on record, below
Water
waves
21 °C in summerA long sandy Atlantic beach beside Lagoa de Melides
Hazards
9
Reported by riders
Level
Intermediate to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
low crowds · busy Jul Aug
Schools
none named here
From the airport
90 min
Lisbon (LIS)
When it fills in
Late morning into afternoon, strongest mid to late afternoon when the thermal builds
Nearbystraight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
- Troia
- Costa de Santo Andreno page yet
- Sao Torpesno page yet
The spot
Wind
Skill level
The wind
locals call it Nortada
Direction
Direction to shore
The beach faces roughly west, so NW arrives side-onshore and is the angle you want. Backed round to N it runs side-shore with an offshore lean, and anything with east in it comes straight off the land, which is where the spot's reputation for inconsistency comes from.
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
Sizes ridden here run from 7 m and under, through 8-9 m and 10-11 m, up to 12-13 m. For 75-85 kg the July-August pair is a 9 m and a 12 m, with a 7 m for the afternoons the thermal overpowers.
Character
Typical strength
16-28
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan27
- Feb28
- Mar24
- Apr17
- May, riders' month27
- Jun, riders' month22
- Jul, riders' month21
- Aug, riders' month10
- Sep, riders' month13
- Oct26
- Nov22
- Dec15
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- 27%Jan16°
- 28%Feb16°
- 24%Mar15°
- 17%Apr16°
- 27%May17°
- 22%Jun19°
- 21%Jul18°
- 10%Aug17°
- 13%Sep18°
- 26%Oct19°
- 22%Nov18°
- 15%Dec17°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal.
Every figure, month by monthWindy days · Force 4+ · 12 kn or more · Knots · Wind from · Peaks at · Air · Water · Readings
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | Wind from | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27% | 42% | 34% | 10.8 kt | NE | 12:00 | 12.8 °C | 15.8 °C | 62 |
| Feb | 28% | 46% | 42% | 11.4 kt | NW | 15:00 | 13.5 °C | 15.5 °C | 57 |
| Mar | 24% | 35% | 31% | 10.8 kt | NW | 16:00 | 14.3 °C | 15.4 °C | 62 |
| Apr | 17% | 38% | 32% | 10.4 kt | NW | 16:00 | 16.7 °C | 16.3 °C | 60 |
| May | 27% | 52% | 39% | 10.9 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 19 °C | 16.7 °C | 62 |
| Jun | 22% | 32% | 30% | 10.3 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 20.9 °C | 18.7 °C | 60 |
| Jul | 21% | 37% | 29% | 9.8 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 22.7 °C | 18.2 °C | 62 |
| Aug | 10% | 26% | 19% | 9 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 22.9 °C | 17 °C | 62 |
| Sep | 13% | 25% | 18% | 8.9 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 20.8 °C | 17.6 °C | 60 |
| Oct | 26% | 39% | 31% | 10.5 kt | NW | 14:00 | 19.7 °C | 19.1 °C | 62 |
| Nov | 22% | 37% | 27% | 9.7 kt | NNE | 14:00 | 16.4 °C | 17.9 °C | 60 |
| Dec | 15% | 27% | 23% | 9.1 kt | N | 14:00 | 13.5 °C | 16.7 °C | 62 |
How this is modelledmodelled · 2023-2024
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. 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.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
waves
Standing depth
Shallow sandy edges and some flatter inside sections, but the riding here is ocean beach break rather than lagoon flat water.
Tides
Rideable through the whole tide cycle: the beach works at every stage of the tide, so what the tide changes is the shape of the inside sandbanks and channels rather than your schedule.
Temperature
21 °C summer · 15 °C winter
Modelled monthly average: 15–19 °C
Wetsuit
Shorty or 3/2 in summer if windy; 4/3 or 3/2 with boots in the coldest winter period.
Conditions
Your level
not for beginners here
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
6 spots nearby
Rescue
Launch
Large, soft sandy Praia de Melides with beach access, parking, restaurants and broad rigging room.
Rules & access
1 min read
Bathing season
Before you ride
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, not Lagoa de Melides, and check locally before assuming an exception.
- Walk the inside section before you ride it fast, because the shallow sandbanks and channels move.
- Rig smaller when the thermal peaks into the high 20s in the afternoon.
- Launch down the beach from the access points and the marked swimmer zones; the beach is wide enough that there is no excuse.
- A 9 m and a 12 m cover July-August at average weight, with a 7 m for the days it overpowers.
- Read the edital board at the beach entrance: lifeguard hours, the rescue kit held on the beach and the Policia Maritima patrol number are all written on it.
- A chequered flag means nobody is watching the water, and cover stops for lunch between 11:30 and 13:30, which is about when the thermal starts to build.
Getting there
Airport
Lisbon (LIS)
Route
About 130 km south of Lisbon by car via the A2 and N261; public transport is limited and less convenient for gear, with a possible Setubal/Troia route.
Transfer
90 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Rural guesthouses, village rentals, bungalows and small coastal stays around Melides and the wider Grandola coast.
No-wind days
Surf/bodyboard, Lagoa de Melides birdwatching, canoeing and walking, seafood restaurants, Comporta/Troia day trips.
Photos
FAQ
Is Melides suitable for beginners?
Sources disagree; it is often rated intermediate given the ocean waves and possible offshore wind tendency, so independent beginners should not treat it as a school lagoon.
When is the best time to kitesurf here?
The season runs May to September, with July-August most cited for powered 9-12 m sessions.
What is the wind like?
Summer Nortada blows from the north quadrant, mostly side-on to side-shore, typically 16-28 knots and strongest mid to late afternoon.
Are there rules or restrictions?
The national beach edital bars kitesurf from areas reserved for bathers, and Melides is a bathing beach for the 2026 season from 30 May to 30 September.
What hazards should riders know about?
Afternoon thermal gusts and lulls, a possible offshore wind tendency, shifting sandbanks and channels, and no confirmed kite-specific rescue are flagged.
Last updated: August 2026