Nearby Costa Nova 19 km · Praia da Barra 21 km · Murtosa / Ria de Aveiro 35 km · Praia do Cabedelo 35 km · straight-line distance
When it fills in
The nortada is thermally reinforced, so it is a wind that fills through the day rather than one that is already there at dawn. Indicative only: no hour-by-hour record exists for this beach.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: The nortada is thermally reinforced, so it is a wind that fills through the day rather than one that is already there at dawn. Indicative only: no hour-by-hour record exists for this beach.
Typical strength
16-28 knots
The quiver, in words
8-12 m
Direction to shore
Side-onshore. The coast faces west and the summer nortada runs down it from the north to north-northwest, so it comes along the beach with an onshore lean. East is the offshore direction here and is not a direction to ride in on open Atlantic.
Dominant direction
N to NNW through the June-September nortada, the summer wind of the whole Iberian west coast, driven by the Iberian thermal low against the Azores high. N to NE also circulates for this beach, unconfirmed. Indicative: there is no local wind rose.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan38
- Feb42
- Mar61
- Apr57
- May65
- Jun51
- Jul56
- Aug55
- Sep42
- Oct49
- Nov53
- Dec44
per cent of the month at force 4 or more
- 11Jan15°
- 11Feb15°
- 13Mar15°
- 12Apr16°
- 13May16°
- 12Jun18°
- 12Jul18°
- 12Aug17°
- 11Sep18°
- 12Oct19°
- 12Nov18°
- 11Dec16°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Force 4+ | Knots | From | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38% | 10.5 kt | E | 11.2°C | 14.9°C |
| Feb | 42% | 11.1 kt | N | 12°C | 14.7°C |
| Mar | 61% | 12.8 kt | SSW | 13.1°C | 14.9°C |
| Apr | 57% | 12.1 kt | NNW | 15°C | 16.1°C |
| May | 65% | 12.7 kt | NNW | 17.2°C | 15.8°C |
| Jun | 51% | 11.6 kt | NNW | 18.9°C | 18.3°C |
| Jul | 56% | 11.6 kt | NNW | 20.5°C | 17.7°C |
| Aug | 55% | 11.8 kt | NNW | 20.2°C | 17.2°C |
| Sep | 42% | 11 kt | NNW | 19.2°C | 17.6°C |
| Oct | 49% | 12 kt | S | 18°C | 19.2°C |
| Nov | 53% | 11.5 kt | WSW | 15.3°C | 17.5°C |
| Dec | 44% | 10.8 kt | E | 12.1°C | 15.8°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
ocean
Standing depth
No standing flat. The sand shelves straight into an exposed beach break that works at every stage of the tide, so there is no shallow inside section to stand in and sort yourself out. No measured profile exists for this beach.
Tides
Exposed beach break with surf at all tide stages. Kite-specific tide behaviour is unconfirmed.
Temperature
17-20°C summer · 13-15°C winter
Wetsuit
A 3/2 or shorty can work on warmer summer days, but the central/north Atlantic water remains cool; 4/3 is a safer winter baseline.
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
1 school names this spot
On your own
Room to launch: large
Somewhere else
Costa Nova, 19 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
About a kilometre of urban beachfront backed by dunes and pine, with fine sand, boardwalks and parking behind the dunes. Access is open public beach and no permit is needed. The southern end of the beach is the part pointed to for surf and other water sports.Outside the bathing season the sand runs wide, and that space is the whole reason it works for kites.
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
- Watch the shore break before you rig. The launch is straight onto exposed Atlantic sand.
- Give swimmers and posted signage a wide berth during the 13 June-13 September 2026 bathing season.
- Bring a proper wetsuit even in summer; this water never gets warm.
- Plan your own self-rescue. No kite rescue service is confirmed here.
- Come by car. Public transport means changing at Aveiro.
- Work the southern end of the beach, away from the urban front, and park behind the dunes.
- Do not ride an east wind here. It is straight offshore into the Atlantic.
Getting there
Airport
Porto Airport (OPO)
Route
Best reached by car: about 108 km from Porto Airport, about 1 h 12 min by road. Public transport needs transfers via Aveiro.
Transfer
75 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Beach-town hotels, guesthouses and holiday rentals around Praia de Mira; nothing kite-specific is listed.
No-wind days
surfing · SUP or kayaking around Barrinha/Lagoa de Mira · cycling the local ecovia · seafood restaurants
Photos
FAQ
What is the wind like at Praia de Mira?
One kite-guide source lists 16-28 knots of mostly side-shore wind and 8-12 m kites, though this has not been confirmed by measured local statistics.
Is Praia de Mira suitable for beginners?
No, the exposed beach break and shore-break risk mean it is treated as intermediate and advanced only.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
The 2026 bathing season runs 13 June to 13 September, and the beach is described as best suited to kitesurfing outside that period.
What hazards should riders know about?
Expect shore break, changing Atlantic swell and no verified kite rescue service at the beach.
Last updated: August 2026