Map › Portugal › Lagoa de Albufeira › Praia do Meco
Lisboa e Oeste · Sesimbra · Setúbal · Aldeia do Meco
Praia do Meco
also known as Meco, Praia do Moinho de Baixo, Moinho de Baixo-Meco
Nearby Lagoa de Albufeira 4 km · Fonte da Telha 6 km · Praia da Bela Vista 12 km · Praia Nova Vaga 12 km · Cova do Vapor 21 km · Bico das Lulas, Tróia 24 km · Praia de Carcavelos 25 km · Comporta 35 km · Moinhos / Alcochete 36 km · Guincho 37 km · straight-line distance
On the clock
15:00 · 20:00
Light in the early morning, filling through the middle of the day, strongest between roughly 15:00 and 20:00, easing after dark. Regional pattern from the nearest long-run record, not measured at Meco.
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: Light in the early morning, filling through the middle of the day, strongest between roughly 15:00 and 20:00, easing after dark. Regional pattern from the nearest long-run record, not measured at Meco.
Typical strength
Summer nortada days sit in the mid-teens. The nearest long-run coastal record, 30 km north across the Tagus mouth, averages 13 knots through July and August, with just over half of all hours at 12 knots or more and about 40% at 15 knots or more; May and September fall back to roughly a third of hours over 12 knots. Regional figures, counting every hour of the month, not only afternoons, and with no measurement at the beach itself.
The quiver, in words
For a 75-85 kg rider: 12 m covers a normal July or August afternoon, 9-10 m once the nortada is properly in, 14 m for mornings and for the May and September edges of the season. Indicative, worked from the regional wind record rather than from riders' own accounts at this beach.
Direction to shore
The beach faces west. A straight N nortada runs side-shore down the sand, an NNW slant swings it side-onshore, and anything from the east is offshore. Exact local angle at the launch is still undocumented.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan31
- Feb40
- Mar23
- Apr28
- May, riders' month39
- Jun, riders' month25
- Jul, riders' month32
- Aug, riders' month34
- Sep, riders' month23
- Oct23
- Nov22
- Dec19
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- 31%Jan16°
- 40%Feb15°
- 23%Mar15°
- 28%Apr17°
- 39%May17°
- 25%Jun19°
- 32%Jul18°
- 34%Aug17°
- 23%Sep18°
- 23%Oct20°
- 22%Nov18°
- 19%Dec17°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31% | 42% | 39% | 10.8 kt | ENE | 13:00 | 12.4°C | 15.7°C | 62 |
| Feb | 40% | 47% | 40% | 11.5 kt | NE | 13:00 | 13°C | 15.2°C | 57 |
| Mar | 23% | 45% | 39% | 11.3 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 14°C | 15.2°C | 62 |
| Apr | 28% | 43% | 38% | 10.7 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 16.1°C | 16.5°C | 60 |
| May | 39% | 58% | 50% | 11.8 kt | NW | 17:00 | 18.4°C | 16.9°C | 62 |
| Jun | 25% | 48% | 38% | 11.2 kt | NW | 16:00 | 20.1°C | 18.9°C | 60 |
| Jul | 32% | 58% | 44% | 11 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 22.1°C | 18.1°C | 62 |
| Aug | 34% | 58% | 44% | 10.9 kt | NW | 16:00 | 22.3°C | 17.4°C | 62 |
| Sep | 23% | 37% | 28% | 9.9 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 20.2°C | 17.8°C | 60 |
| Oct | 23% | 42% | 34% | 10.6 kt | WNW | 14:00 | 19.1°C | 19.5°C | 62 |
| Nov | 22% | 37% | 27% | 10 kt | NE | 13:00 | 16.1°C | 18.3°C | 60 |
| Dec | 19% | 37% | 26% | 10 kt | ENE | 14:00 | 13.3°C | 16.7°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
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
Not tide-locked for wind, but the Atlantic range is real: springs at the nearest standard port run about 3.1 m, high water near 3.7 m against a low near 0.5 m. The width of dry sand and the shape of the shorebreak change through the cycle.
Temperature
20-22°C summer · 14-16°C winter
Wetsuit
Shorty or normal wetsuit in summer; normal to thick wetsuit in winter. A 2 mm long-sleeve shorty or 3/2 mm spring suit suits the August peak, and a 4/3 mm or 3/2 mm with boots suits the February minimum.
Currents
The nearby Lagoa de Albufeira mouth has strong, treacherous currents. Nothing specific is documented for the main Meco launch itself.
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
Lagoa de Albufeira, 4 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
+351 212 233 048+351 265 548 270
Launch
Large sandy Atlantic beach at Moinho de Baixo/Meco.
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
- Find the flags before you pump: the 2026 bathing season is 4 June to 13 September and the bather zone is off limits to kites.
- Keep away from the Lagoa de Albufeira mouth, where the current is strong and treacherous.
- Bring a wetsuit even in August; the water runs 20-22 C in summer and a 2 mm long-sleeve shorty or a 3/2 covers the peak.
- Walk south toward Rio da Prata for space, and expect a naturist stretch once you get there.
- Ask Meira Pro Center where they are teaching that week: their lesson sites are Lagoa de Albufeira and Costa da Caparica, not Meco itself.
- The nortada is a late-day wind. Mornings are usually too light; the best of it runs from mid-afternoon into the evening.
- Springs move about 3 m of water on this coast, so the beach you rigged on can be a fraction of its size when you come back in.
Getting there
Airport
Lisbon Airport
Route
Access is by car with a short walk. Praia do Meco/Moinho de Baixo is by Aldeia do Meco in Sesimbra.
Staying
Accommodation is available in Aldeia do Meco, Sesimbra and along the Lisbon coast, but nothing kite-specific is published.
No-wind days
Surf and bodyboard on the Bicas-Meco-Lagoa de Albufeira coast, beach time at Meco, naturist beach area farther south, birdwatching around Lagoa de Albufeira.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at Meco?
The listed season is May through September, matching the broader Portuguese west-coast Nortada summer pattern.
Is it suitable for beginners?
It is listed for beginner, intermediate and expert ability, though practical beginner suitability should be checked with local schools and conditions on the day.
What is the wind like?
The wind is a thermal north Nortada, generally side-shore on this west-facing beach.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
The 2026 bathing season for Moinho de Baixo-Meco runs 4 June to 13 September, during which kitesurf is prohibited in areas reserved for bathers.
What hazards should riders know about?
The nearby Lagoa de Albufeira mouth has strong, treacherous currents, and Atlantic surf and shorebreak can be agitated.
Last updated: August 2026