Photo: User:Nikater · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Praia Grande
The main beach of the Sintra coast and the one everything else is measured against — an exposed sand-bottom beach break with several peaks, breaking both ways, consistent enough to work in any month. It has hosted the Sintra Bodyboard Pro Fest since 1996, the longest uninterrupted stop on the bodyboard world tour, which tells you what it does when it gets big: the inside goes square and heavy. Low to mid tide spreads the peaks along the beach; high tide pushes everything into a shorebreak.
Surf outlook
We don't have a forecast outlook for Praia Grande yet. The seasonal guidance below is based on long-run averages, not on this week.
Live conditions
We don't have a current forecast for Praia Grande. The seasonal guidance below is based on long-run averages, not on today.
Surf Snapshot
Estimated seasonal guidance — not a live forecast.
When to surf Praia Grande, month by month
Estimated from our authored seasonality — not a live forecast.
Peak season: Jan, Nov, Dec (All-time).
| Month | Surf consistency | Wetsuit |
|---|---|---|
| Janpeak | All-time | 4/3 fullsuit |
| Feb | High | 4/3 fullsuit |
| Mar | High | 3/2 fullsuit |
| Apr | Moderate | 3/2 fullsuit |
| May | Inconsistent | Spring suit |
| Jun | Inconsistent | Spring suit |
| July | Inconsistent | Boardshorts |
| Aug | Inconsistent | Boardshorts |
| Sept | Moderate | Spring suit |
| Oct | High | 3/2 fullsuit |
| Novpeak | All-time | 3/2 fullsuit |
| Decpeak | All-time | 4/3 fullsuit |
Does this wave fit your level?
Rated for Levels 2-6 · Best at Level 4.
Take the 2-minute quiz to see if Praia Grande fits you today.
Find my Level →Beginner notes
Genuinely good for Levels 2-3 in a small summer swell, which is when the Colares schools teach here — but this beach is only forgiving when it is small. On a winter NW swell the shore dump at high tide is the hazard, not the outside waves, and it breaks in inches of water onto dry sand. Check the tide before you paddle out, and if it is overhead and dumping, go to Praia das Maçãs instead.
Hazards
- rip currents
- shore dump
- crowd
Camps near Praia Grande
Nearby spots
The closest graded spots to Praia Grande, straight-line distance.
- Praia da Adraga~1 km · Levels 3-6
- Praia das Maçãs~2 km · Levels 1-5
- Foz do Lizandro~16 km · Levels 1-5
- Praia do Sul~17 km · Levels 1-4
- Praia dos Pescadores~17 km · Levels 1-4
Best months to surf here
In-season months for Portugal, from our editors’ season calendar.