Surf spot

Meia Praia

Forecast conditions and map view for Meia Praia in Portugal, Algarve. Open the interactive surf map to inspect wind, waves, and nearby spots.

Country: Portugal, Algarve
Coordinates: 37.1084, -8.6619

Metric
Metric	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00	00:00	03:00	06:00	09:00	12:00	15:00	18:00	21:00
Wave height (m)	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.6	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.9	1	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3
Wave direction	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	SE	NW	NW	NW	NW	NW	WNW	WNW	WNW	WNW	WNW	WNW	WNW	WNW	ESE	SE	SE	SE	WNW	ESE	ESE	ESE	SE	SE	SE
Wave period (s)	4.4	4.6	4.8	4.9	5	4.9	4.8	4.8	4.9	5	5.1	5.3	5.5	5.3	4.9	5	5.1	5.1	5	4.9	5	4.4	4.6	4.7	4.5	4.6	4.5	4.5	4.5	4.4	4.5	4.7	4.8	5	5.2	5.1	5.8	6.2	4.8	4.3	4.5	4.3	4.2	4.7	4.9	3.9	3.9	4	4	4.7	4.5	4.7	4.8	4.8	4.7	4.3
Wave energy (kJ)	7	9	12	18	21	22	18	18	20	25	40	51	52	49	39	35	33	32	31	29	29	24	18	15	10	9	8	8	7	5	3	3	5	6	8	8	6	4	7	6	6	5	5	6	6	3	3	3	2	4	3	3	4	5	5	3
Wind speed (km/h)	6	5.9	4.8	3.3	16.9	10.1	5.1	3.1	3.9	10.2	9.2	10.4	14.9	9.9	4.5	4.9	5.7	5.7	6.9	4	11.4	11.6	15.9	11.9	6.5	6.8	6.8	3.8	13.8	22.9	21.8	19.5	20.2	22.1	24.5	26.5	27.6	30.1	24.8	23.5	17.2	13.2	14.3	10	8	26.7	13.5	10.2	9.5	6.8	6.4	5.2	9.5	8.7	13.2	11.9
Wind direction	NNECross	NECross-on	NNEGlassy	NNEGlassy	SCross-on	SCross-on	WCross-off	NEGlassy	SEGlassy	EOnshore	ENECross-on	EOnshore	SSECross-on	SSECross-on	SSEGlassy	NNEGlassy	NNWCross-off	ESEOnshore	NNECross	ENEGlassy	SSWCross	WNWOffshore	NWOffshore	NNWCross-off	NCross-off	NCross-off	NNWCross-off	NNWGlassy	NWOffshore	NWOffshore	NWCross-off	NNWCross-off	NNWCross-off	NNWCross-off	NNWCross-off	NNWCross-off	NWOffshore	NWOffshore	NWCross-off	NNWCross-off	NNWCross-off	NNWCross-off	NNWCross-off	NNECross	NCross-off	NWOffshore	NNWCross-off	NCross-off	NCross-off	NCross-off	NNECross	SEOnshore	SCross	WOffshore	NWOffshore	NNWCross-off

Meia Praia is one of the most popular and accessible surf spots in the Algarve, located near Lagos in southern Portugal.

Quick description

Type of wave: Long, open beach break
Exposure: Faces the Atlantic, so it picks up plenty of swell
Best for: Beginners to intermediate surfers, depending on the day
Wind: Works best with light offshore winds; onshore winds can make it messy
Bottom: Sandy, which makes it generally safer and more forgiving
Crowds: Can get busy, especially in summer and on good swell days

What it’s like

Meia Praia is a long stretch of sandy beach, so the waves are usually spread out and easier to surf than reef or point breaks. It’s a good place to learn because the sandy bottom makes wipeouts less intimidating, and the wave quality is often manageable for practice. When a bigger Atlantic swell comes in, it can offer faster, more powerful waves that are better suited to experienced surfers.

Conditions

Small to medium swell: Fun and suitable for lessons
Bigger swell: Can become punchier and more challenging
Tide: Can affect wave quality significantly, so it’s worth checking tide charts
Hazards: Rip currents can be strong at times, especially when the surf is bigger

Overall

Meia Praia is a classic Algarve beach break: easy to access, beginner-friendly much of the time, but capable of serving up solid surf when the Atlantic is working. It’s a reliable option if you’re in Lagos and looking for a versatile, sandy surf spot.