Map › Portugal › Funchal - Madeira › Porto da Cruz / Machico

Canary Islands, Madeira, Azores & Cape Verde · Machico - Madeira

Porto da Cruz / Machico

wavesadvanced only

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

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

Nearby Caniçal 9 km · Praia Formosa 18 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Oct, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windyno knot figure published Launchroom to launch not ratedno access rules on record Waterwaves25°C in summer · 2 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section

Schoolsnone named here

From the airportno transfer time published

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Two spots on the northeast coast of Madeira that get used together, mostly by windsurfers. Porto da Cruz is a left-hand reef point break, and SW is the offshore direction that makes it work. Rocks, exposed water, gusty wind off the land: this end is for intermediate and advanced riders and nobody else.

Machico is the other half of the pairing and the more accessible kite option on this side, a bigger and more sheltered bay with sand to launch from. Winter is the productive season for waves, with October standing out and groundswell and windswell equally common through November, December and January.

Mid tide on the push is the tide to aim for. Not much else about this pairing is on record: no wind averages, no kite sizes, no local rules, and nothing on rescue.

The wind

Direction

offshorewind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

gusty

Winter is the productive season for waves here, October standing out; groundswell and windswell are equally common.

Strength

No knot figure is published for this spot.

Direction to shore

SW is the favoured offshore direction for the reef at Porto da Cruz

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month39
Feb38
Mar32
Apr26
May40
Jun39
Jul32
Aug40
Sep22
Oct, riders' month31
Nov, riders' month11
Dec, riders' month32

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Oct, Nov, Dec.

10Jan20°
10Feb19°
10Mar19°
9Apr20°
10May21°
10Jun22°
10Jul23°
10Aug25°
8Sep24°
9Oct24°
7Nov23°
9Dec21°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	39%	10.2 kt	NNE	13.9°C	20.2°C
Feb	38%	10.1 kt	N	13.4°C	19.3°C
Mar	32%	9.8 kt	NNW	13.7°C	19.2°C
Apr	26%	9 kt	N	14.5°C	19.8°C
May	40%	9.8 kt	N	15.8°C	20.9°C
Jun	39%	10.1 kt	N	17.2°C	21.8°C
Jul	32%	10 kt	N	19.1°C	23.4°C
Aug	40%	10.3 kt	N	20°C	24.7°C
Sep	22%	8.3 kt	N	19.1°C	24.3°C
Oct	31%	8.9 kt	N	19.1°C	24.1°C
Nov	11%	7.2 kt	N	16.5°C	22.6°C
Dec	32%	9.2 kt	SSW	14.7°C	21.1°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

Tides

best around mid, rising tide

Temperature

25°C summer · 20°C winter

Wetsuit

boardshorts/shorty/thin wetsuit depending on season

19–25°C water

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

The reef break at Porto da Cruz is for intermediate and advanced riders. Machico's bay forgives more.

The scene

What riders come here for

intermediatewaves

rarely crowded

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 is not rated

no access rules on record

Somewhere else

Caniçal, 9 km

Caniçal Praia Formosa

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Launch

Porto da Cruz launches off the reef point. Machico has the bigger sandy bay.

Rules & access

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

Rider tips

Wait for SW to make the Porto da Cruz reef work, and expect the wind off the land to be gusty.
Aim for mid tide on the rising water.
Take Machico's bay when the reef is out of your range or the swell is up.
Come between October and January if you want the waves.
Watch the rocks at Porto da Cruz on the way in and out.

Getting there

Airport

FNC Madeira Airport (Cristiano Ronaldo International), very close to Machico

Route

Short drive from Funchal or from the airport, which is close to Machico.

Cost level

high

Staying

hotels in Machico or Funchal

Photos

only candidate directly naming Porto da Cruz, 1.1km — Maximovich Nikolay / CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time?

Winter is the productive season here, especially October, with groundswell and windswell equally common.

Is it suitable for beginners?

No, the reef break at Porto da Cruz suits intermediate and advanced riders, while Machico's bay is more forgiving for less experienced riders.

What are the hazards?

Rocks at Porto da Cruz require care, and conditions are exposed and variable.

Last updated: August 2026