Map › Portugal › Lagoa de Albufeira › Praia Nova Vaga
Lisboa e Oeste · Costa da Caparica, Almada · Setúbal · Costa da Caparica
Praia Nova Vaga
also known as Nova Vaga, Nova Vaga Kitebeach, Praia da Nova Vaga
Nearby Praia da Bela Vista under 1 km · Fonte da Telha 7 km · Cova do Vapor 8 km · Lagoa de Albufeira 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
around 16:30-17:00, often weakening after about 19:00
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: around 16:30-17:00, often weakening after about 19:00
Typical strength
10-25
Also on record
18-20 knots more often in summer
The quiver, in words
For a 75-85 kg rider, 9 m is the everyday summer size once the Nortada settles at 18-20 kt. A 12 m covers the softer mornings and the lighter spring days around 12 kt, and 7 m comes out when the afternoon pushes past 25 kt. Indicative sizes from rider practice on this coast, not a measured local table.
Direction to shore
side-on for NW and SW
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
- Jan21
- Feb23
- Mar21
- Apr7
- May, riders' month13
- Jun, riders' month10
- Jul, riders' month5
- Aug, riders' month10
- Sep, riders' month12
- Oct18
- Nov13
- Dec13
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 23% of days at its best month, which does not sit with the season and the wind strength 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 | 21% | 35% | 24% | 9.8 kt | NE | 13:00 | 12.1°C | 15.3°C | 62 |
| Feb | 23% | 39% | 35% | 10.5 kt | NE | 13:00 | 12.7°C | 15°C | 57 |
| Mar | 21% | 34% | 27% | 10.4 kt | WNW | 15:00 | 13.9°C | 15.2°C | 62 |
| Apr | 7% | 35% | 22% | 9.6 kt | WNW | 16:00 | 16.3°C | 16.6°C | 60 |
| May | 13% | 47% | 31% | 10.6 kt | W | 16:00 | 18.7°C | 17°C | 62 |
| Jun | 10% | 27% | 13% | 9.8 kt | NW | 16:00 | 20.5°C | 18.9°C | 60 |
| Jul | 5% | 26% | 6% | 9.4 kt | NW | 16:00 | 22.8°C | 18.6°C | 62 |
| Aug | 10% | 24% | 15% | 9.6 kt | NW | 16:00 | 22.8°C | 18.2°C | 62 |
| Sep | 12% | 20% | 17% | 9.1 kt | W | 15:00 | 20.7°C | 18.1°C | 60 |
| Oct | 18% | 34% | 27% | 9.8 kt | W | 14:00 | 19.4°C | 18.9°C | 62 |
| Nov | 13% | 25% | 15% | 9.1 kt | NE | 13:00 | 15.9°C | 17.7°C | 60 |
| Dec | 13% | 24% | 18% | 9.3 kt | ENE | 13:00 | 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
Standing depth
shallow at low tide
Tides
Tide independent on paper, but the tide moves the break: at low tide it is shallower and the wave breaks farther out, at high tide the opposite.
Temperature
20-22°C summer · 14-16°C winter
Wetsuit
Shorts or a shorty in summer, a 3 mm suit in winter. A shorty or summer suit is enough around the August peak; near late February take 4/3mm and boots, or 5/3mm if you stay out long.
Currents
Rip currents are a standing feature of this coast, thrown along the whole run from Cova do Vapor to past Fonte da Telha. The currents near the groynes and the urban Caparica front to the north are treated as permanent, stronger or weaker with the swell and the tide of the day.Nothing has been measured at Nova Vaga itself, so plan for being pushed down the beach and know where you would come in.
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
Praia da Bela Vista, 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
Big sand beach with dunes behind it. Soft sand, no rocks, shells or pebbles, about 50 m from the dunes to the water, and the facilities are all on the beach. The legal school and kite area is about that 50 m of sand.
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
- Stay out of the bathing beaches either side, and hold your distance from the sand if you ride along the coast.
- Come for the late afternoon: the thermal fills around 16:30-17:00 and dies after about 19:00.
- If waves are new to you, book a school day or wait for a small forecast; the beach break is the hard part here, not the wind.
- Leave slack in the plan for the dirt road in and the queue out in July and August.
- Without a car, take the beach train toward Fonte da Telha and get off at the Nova Vaga-Kitebeach stop.
Getting there
Airport
Lisbon Airport (LIS)
Route
Drive over the Ponte 25 de Abril toward Costa da Caparica, then south past the beaches onto the beach road and the dirt track. Bus and train reach Costa da Caparica, and the beach train toward Fonte da Telha stops at Nova Vaga-Kitebeach. You normally want a car: the dirt road is rough and clogs in peak summer.
Cost level
medium
Staying
Beds in Costa da Caparica, Almada, Trafaria or Lisbon. Nothing spot-specific is listed.
No-wind days
Surf · SUP · Costa da Caparica beach bars · Lisbon sightseeing
Photos
FAQ
Is Nova Vaga suitable for beginners?
Yes, it is rated for beginners through experts, with school activity on the beach, though beginners without ocean-wave experience may find it more challenging.
When is the best time?
May to September is the main Nortada season, with wind typically 10-25 knots and onset around 16:30-17:00, fading after about 19:00.
Are there rules or restricted zones?
Nova Vaga is the officially designated kite beach under Lisbon Port Captaincy regulation, and riding nearby beaches instead is discouraged, with fines or equipment seizure possible outside permitted areas.
What are the hazards?
Large winter surf, restricted kite zoning, and traffic on the rough dirt-road access in peak summer are the main issues.
Last updated: August 2026