Map › Portugal › Lagoa de Albufeira › Praia da Bela Vista
Lisboa e Oeste · Costa da Caparica, Almada · Setúbal · Costa da Caparica
Praia da Bela Vista
also known as Bela Vista Kite Beach, Praia da Bela Vista Beach no. 17
Nearby Praia Nova Vaga under 1 km · Fonte da Telha 7 km · Lagoa de Albufeira 8 km · Cova do Vapor 9 km · Praia do Meco 12 km · Praia de Carcavelos 14 km · Guincho 27 km · Bico das Lulas, Tróia 28 km · Moinhos / Alcochete 29 km · Comporta 42 km · straight-line distance
On the clock
16:30 · 17:00 · 19:00 · 19:30
Fills in around 16:30 and usually fades by about 19:00. Fonte da Telha, a little further south, starts closer to 17:00 and runs to about 19:30, which is the fallback if you arrive late.
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.
The wind
locals call it Nortada
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
thermal
fills in: Fills in around 16:30 and usually fades by about 19:00. Fonte da Telha, a little further south, starts closer to 17:00 and runs to about 19:30, which is the fallback if you arrive late.
Typical strength
12-25
The quiver, in words
For a 75-85 kg rider the summer thermal sits in 9-12 m territory: the 12 for the first hour after it fills in, the 9 once it is up, and a 7 or 8 m at the top of the 12-25 knot band. A 14 m only earns its place on the soft early-season afternoons.Indicative sizing worked from the wind range, with no local measurement behind it.
Direction to shore
side-on
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
riding season from the spot record · no wind series here is trusted enough to name a season
- Jan11
- Feb7
- Mar13
- Apr2
- May, riders' month3
- Jun, riders' month3
- Jul, riders' month0
- Aug, riders' month3
- Sep, riders' month2
- Oct10
- Nov7
- Dec3
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
The model is wrong here
The model reads 13% of days at its best month, which does not sit with the season this record states. The figures are kept and drawn as hatching so no wind colour can be read off them, and the ringed months are the ones riders name.
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11% | 18% | 15% | 8.4 kt | ENE | 13:00 | 12.1°C | 15.3°C | 62 |
| Feb | 7% | 26% | 14% | 9.1 kt | NE | 13:00 | 12.7°C | 15°C | 57 |
| Mar | 13% | 26% | 19% | 9.2 kt | W | 15:00 | 13.9°C | 15.2°C | 62 |
| Apr | 2% | 12% | 3% | 8.6 kt | W | 16:00 | 16.3°C | 16.6°C | 60 |
| May | 3% | 13% | 6% | 9.3 kt | NNW | 17:00 | 18.7°C | 17°C | 62 |
| Jun | 3% | 5% | 5% | 8.7 kt | NNW | 17:00 | 20.5°C | 18.9°C | 60 |
| Jul | 0% | 3% | 0% | 8.5 kt | NNW | 17:00 | 22.8°C | 18.6°C | 62 |
| Aug | 3% | 5% | 3% | 8.7 kt | NNW | 17:00 | 22.8°C | 18.2°C | 62 |
| Sep | 2% | 10% | 2% | 8.2 kt | NNW | 16:00 | 20.7°C | 18.1°C | 60 |
| Oct | 10% | 18% | 13% | 8.7 kt | W | 15:00 | 19.4°C | 18.9°C | 62 |
| Nov | 7% | 12% | 7% | 7.8 kt | ENE | 13:00 | 15.9°C | 17.7°C | 60 |
| Dec | 3% | 16% | 8% | 8.1 kt | ENE | 14:00 | 13°C | 16.2°C | 62 |
riders' months
Riders and schools name these months. The model reads lower here, and both are shown rather than averaged.
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. 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
ocean
Tides
Semi-diurnal Atlantic tide, two highs and two lows a day. Highs run roughly 1.7 to 3.1 m and lows from about zero to 1.2 m, so an ordinary range is around 2 to 2.5 m and a spring range close to 3 m. The width of dry sand between the school and the water changes a lot over a session.
Temperature
20-22°C summer · 14-16°C winter
Wetsuit
Shorty or summer suit in the warm late-summer water; 4/3mm plus boots around the late-February minimum, or 5/3mm for a long cold session in strong wind.
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
3 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: large
Somewhere else
Praia Nova Vaga, under 1 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Wide sand beach with the school bases on it. Waves4Life has a building on the beach and a 250 m sand area for lessons; Katavento's fixed base is at Praia da Bela Vista, with a broad sandy launch.
Space
large
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Plan for the late afternoon: the thermal arrives around 16:30 and fades around 19:00, so there is no point rigging early.
- Rig inside the marked kite and lesson area; drift into the bathing zone in summer and you will be moved off.
- Take at least a shorty even in August, because this water is Atlantic and stays cool.
- Without a car, bus to Costa da Caparica and take the beach train down to beach no. 17.
- The wind lifts well here, which is what makes it a big-air beach. Wave riding in summer is a different story, with swimmers in the water and lifeguards moving you on.
- If you miss the fill-in, Fonte da Telha runs about half an hour later and blows a touch harder.
- Check the tide before you walk down: the range is 2 to 3 m and the beach you rigged on can be under water two hours later.
Getting there
Airport
Lisbon Airport (LIS)
Route
By car, over the Ponte 25 de Abril toward Costa da Caparica and the IC20, then south along the beachfront to Praia da Bela Vista. By public transport, bus to Costa da Caparica, then walk the seafront or take the beach train to beach no. 17.
Transfer
20 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Costa da Caparica, Almada, Trafaria or Lisbon. Nothing is published on spot-specific accommodation.
No-wind days
Surf or SUP with local schools · Costa da Caparica beach restaurants · Lisbon sightseeing · Naturist/gay beach area at Praia 19/Dezanove
Photos
FAQ
Is it suitable for beginners?
Yes, both Katavento and Waves4Life run fixed schools there and teach beginners, alongside progression, rental and coaching for more advanced riders.
When is the best time?
The main season is May to September, strongest from July to September, with wind onset around 16:30 and often fading by 19:00.
Are there kite schools?
Katavento and Waves4Life both operate fixed school bases directly on the beach.
What are the rules?
A 2026 lifeguard plan covers the urban Costa da Caparica beaches from 1 June to 30 September, and riders should stay within the designated kite/lesson area to avoid being moved or sanctioned.
What are the hazards?
Summer bathers and regulated bathing zones are the main constraint, and Atlantic shorebreak can vary with swell.
Last updated: August 2026