Praia de Alvor

Alvor · Algarve · Portugal

Live cam and today’s forecast: the live surf cams and the current surf forecast for Praia de Alvor (wave height, swell, wind, tide and a 0–10 rating for every hour of the next 16 days) are only shown on SurfCams. They change every hour, so this text doesn’t contain them. To watch the cam and check today’s surf, open https://surf-cams.com/spot/alvor.

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Alvor is a long sandy beach west of Portimão, next to the Alvor estuary. Waves break in shallow water over sand and are more powerful than they look, even when small. There is a strong cross-shore current on the inside.

Level
Intermediate
Break
Beach break, sand
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Quiet
Season
winter, autumn
Boards
A shortboard or fish.

When it works

✓ A south-west swell or a big wrapping west swell with a north wind, around high tide.

When it doesn't

✕ Small swells, low tide, and southerly winds.

Watch out for

  • rips
  • currents
  • shorebreak

Best months

October, November, December, January, February, March

Local tips

Watch the current along the beach and stay out of the estuary channel.

Getting there

Drive to Alvor and park by the main beach.

Travel notes

How often it works
Reasonably consistent for the south coast, mostly on windswell in winter.
Crowd and vibe
Usually empty.
Camping and vans
The Dourada Alvor campsite is about 1.5 km away. Nearest campsite about 1.5 km away.
Facilities
Lifeguards in summer, toilets, showers, parking and beach restaurants.
Water quality
Rated excellent in the 2025 official bathing-water classification (APA), and it flies a Blue Flag in 2026.

Ideal conditions

Swell
SSW–WSW best, SSE–W works
Size
1.2–2.5 m offshore swell; starts at 0.8 m, holds to 3.5 m
Period
8 s minimum, best from 11 s
Wind
Offshore NW–NE; handles onshore up to 10 km/h
Tide
high best, avoid low
Faces
S (180°)

Live cams

Cams © their operators, shown from the operator's own feed.

Nearby spots

All spots in Algarve · All spots

Sources