MapCape VerdeSanta Maria, SalMurdeiraSanta Maria, Sal

Murdeira

Santa Maria - Sal

also known as Baia da Murdeira, Canoa, Calheta Funda

Part of Santa Maria, Sal →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

not for beginnerslow crowds

On this page

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

Riding essentials

Season

Nov–May

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-25 kt

Character: trade

Room to launch

tight

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

27 °C in summer

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Intermediate to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

low crowds · busy Dec Jan Feb Mar

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

15 min

Cabral International Airport (SID)

On the clock

09:00 · 15:00

The trade is usually already up at first light and runs through the day; the thermal adds to it around the middle of the day, with the strongest hours roughly 09:00-15:00, and it eases towards sunset, often back to about 12 kt. Island-wide pattern, no measurement at this bay.

The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.

Nearbystraight-line distance

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

Canoaalso a name for this spot
Calheta Fundaalso a name for this spot
Ponta do Sinono page yet
Kite Beach / Shark Bay
Santa Maria Bayno page yet
Fontonano page yet

The spot

Murdeira is the west side of Sal, the bay between Espargos and Santa Maria, and the first thing to sort out is which beach people mean: Canoa inside Baia da Murdeira, or Calheta Funda just south of it. Ask a school before you drive over.

Water and currents

Either way this is Atlantic water with chop, small to medium waves and rock and reef at both ends of the beach, not the flat teaching water of the east coast. The NE trades run from about October/November to May/June and blow cross-off to offshore here, so a line failure sends you out, not in; ride with a buddy or a boat and know where you can get out downwind.

The two options

Canoa is the softer option and a decent wave-and-jump session; Calheta Funda turns into an expert wave once the swell is over about 2 m, and waves up to about 2.5 m have been reported there.

Why come here

The wind is not the reason to come, since it is the same trade as everywhere on Sal at a worse angle. You come because Kite Beach and Santa Maria are full and this bay is empty.

Marine reserve

It is also a Marine Nature Reserve, and Praia da Canoa is a turtle nesting beach, so give the wildlife room.

The wind

locals call it NE trade winds

Direction

cross-offNE to NNEwind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Direction to shore

cross-off

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For 75-85 kg in the November-May trades, a 7-10 m quiver covers almost everything and the 9 m is the kite you will actually fly most days. Take a 6-7 m for the strong west-coast days at 18-30 kt, and a 12 m only for the light weeks at the edges of the season.Indicative: island-wide sizing, not a figure logged in this bay.

Character

trade

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

21 kt in one dataset for Murdeira/Calheta Funda; nearby Kitebeach Sal historical station lists 12 kt annual average from 2017-2018 observations.

Typical strength

Steady 3-5 Beaufort, about 15-25 kt, through the main season, and it rarely tops 6 Beaufort. West-coast days in the December-May peak are put higher, at 18-30 kt. No wind station on this stretch of coast.

Steady in the Nov-May/June trade season, but on this west coast it sits more offshore than at the east-coast teaching beaches.

Main season about October/November to May/June. December-April, or January-March by a stricter count, is the strongest and most reliable stretch. April and May stand out for steady wind over a calmer surface.

An island wind record covering 2003-2014 has at least 4 Beaufort on 97% of days in May against 50% in August.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan, riders' month81
Feb, riders' month94
Mar, riders' month90
Apr, riders' month90
May, riders' month94
Jun81
Jul46
Aug41
Sep63
Oct70
Nov, riders' month78
Dec, riders' month80

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Nov, Dec.

14 ktJan24°
15 ktFeb23°
15 ktMar23°
14 ktApr24°
14 ktMay24°
13 ktJun25°
11 ktJul26°
11 ktAug28°
12 ktSep28°
13 ktOct28°
13 ktNov27°
14 ktDec25°

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

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2020-2024), 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	81%	14.1 kt	NE	22.6 °C	23.6 °C
Feb	94%	15.3 kt	NE	22.2 °C	23 °C
Mar	90%	14.5 kt	NNE	21.9 °C	22.9 °C
Apr	90%	13.9 kt	NNE	22.8 °C	23.5 °C
May	94%	14.1 kt	NNE	23.3 °C	24.2 °C
Jun	81%	13.3 kt	NNE	24.4 °C	24.7 °C
Jul	46%	10.8 kt	NNE	25.3 °C	26.3 °C
Aug	41%	10.5 kt	NNE	26.7 °C	27.6 °C
Sep	63%	11.9 kt	NE	27.3 °C	28 °C
Oct	70%	12.7 kt	NE	27.1 °C	28.2 °C
Nov	78%	13 kt	NE	25.7 °C	26.6 °C
Dec	80%	13.7 kt	NE	23.7 °C	25 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2020-2024

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 · 2020-2024

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

Not a standing spot. The bay is roughly 3-5 m deep over volcanic bottom with a narrow reef arcing offshore and rock pools at the edge, and both launches are rock, reef and shorebreak rather than a shallow shelf you can walk out on.Treat any claim that it is standable at all tides as wrong until a local shows you otherwise.

Tides

Low-amplitude Atlantic tide; low tide brings the waves closer to shore, and high tide makes the water smoother. A sample day for Baia da Murdeira shows roughly 0.03-1.08 m.

Temperature

27 °C summer · 22 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 23–28 °C

Wetsuit

Shorty or 3 mm top/3-2 mm wetsuit in the cooler trade-wind months; boardshorts may be enough in the warmer off-season.

Currents

Reportedly a manageable current that pushes south and picks up when the wind goes side-offshore; unmeasured.

Conditions

The riding is at Canoa in Baia da Murdeira and at Calheta Funda just south of the bay: small to medium waves, chop, reef and rock sections. Wave riding, not lagoon flat water.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for beginners here

Canoa in Baia da Murdeira is the safer of the two and good for wave riding and jumping; Calheta Funda is advanced or expert only once the swell is over 2 m. With rocks, reef, shorebreak and an offshore-to-cross-off wind, do not learn here without local support.

The scene

What riders come here for

intermediatewavesstraplessjumpinguncrowded sessionsadvanced

Quiet. A few riders exploring and the resort behind the beach; nothing like Santa Maria or Kite Beach.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

4 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: tight

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

4 spots nearby

All 4 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

No lifeguards, no rescue post and no boat standing by at either launch, and medical help anywhere on the island is limited. Cover here means a buddy, a car meeting you downwind, or a guided trip booked out of Santa Maria.

Launch

Canoa in Baia da Murdeira has a small beach launch looking across to Monte Leao. Calheta Funda has a small sandy beach inside the bay with rocks, reef and shorebreak on the way out.

Rules & access

1 min read

2022: Baia da Murdeira is a designated Marine Nature Reserve in Cabo Verde's protected-area network; no kitesurf-specific permit or zoning rule is published.

2023: the Murdeira Village planning regulation identifies Praia da Canoa and Praia do Cascalho as turtle nesting beaches and requires measures to reduce artificial-light impacts during turtle season; riders should avoid disturbing turtles, seabirds and protected habitat.

2026: turtle nesting on Sal runs June to October and it is illegal to be on a beach at night to watch nesting turtles without a certified guide, so be off the sand before dark in those months.

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

Ask a Santa Maria school whether they mean Canoa in Baia da Murdeira or Calheta Funda before you drive over; the name covers both.
Treat NE on this side of Sal as offshore until you have stood on the launch and picked your downwind exit.
Never solo here in side-off; bring a buddy, arrange a pickup, or make it a guided downwinder.
Ride the top of the tide: low tide bares the rock and reef at both ends of the beach and brings the shorebreak in, and swell over 2 m makes Calheta Funda a different spot.
Keep clear of turtles and seabirds; Praia da Canoa is a nesting beach inside the marine reserve.
Pack the 9 m as your everyday kite and a 7 m for the strong days; the west coast is where the numbers go up.

Getting there

Airport

Amilcar Cabral International Airport (SID), Sal

Route

Murdeira is on Sal's west coast between Espargos and Santa Maria. Murdeira Village Resort is 5 km from the airport, 8 km from Espargos and 10 km from Santa Maria. Rent a car, take a taxi or get a school or guide to pick you up; you will want wheels to move between beaches.

Transfer

15 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Murdeira Village Resort and the villas around it are right there. Everything else, schools, rental, restaurants, nightlife, is in Santa Maria.

No-wind days

Snorkeling or swimming in Murdeira Bay when conditions and reserve rules allow · Catamaran cruise from Palmeira along the west coast · Pedra de Lume salt pans · Buracona / Blue Eye · Terra Boa mirage · Viveiro Botanical Garden · Santa Maria beach and pier · Turtle or wildlife tours with responsible operators

FAQ

When is the best time to kite Murdeira?

The main season runs October/November to May/June, with December to April or January to March usually strongest.

Is Murdeira suitable for beginners?

No; rocks, reef, shorebreak and offshore-to-cross-off wind make it unsuitable for beginners without local support, though Canoa is calmer than the heavier Calheta Funda break.

What is the wind like at Murdeira?

NE to NNE trade winds blow cross-off here, roughly 15-25 knots in season, more offshore than Sal's main east-coast teaching beaches.

Are there rules at Murdeira?

Baia da Murdeira is a designated Marine Nature Reserve, and nearby Praia da Canoa and Praia do Cascalho are turtle nesting beaches with lighting restrictions in season.

The bigger pictureEverything about Santa Maria - Sal

Last updated: August 2026