Lugar de Baixo

Ponta do Sol · Madeira · Portugal

Today’s forecast: the current surf forecast for Lugar de Baixo (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 check today’s surf, open https://surf-cams.com/spot/lugar-de-baixo.

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Lugar de Baixo is a right-hand reef in front of a small seawall and lagoon near Ponta do Sol, about 25 km from Funchal. On its day it gives more than 200 m of fast, powerful right with barrel sections. It is the closest quality wave to Funchal. Coastal works keep adding backwash, so it is no longer as good as it was.

Level
Advanced
Break
Reef break, rock
Waves
Rights
Crowd
Crowded
Season
winter
Boards
A shortboard or step-up.

When it works

✓ A solid west to south-west swell of 2–3 m between mid and high tide, with a north wind.

When it doesn't

✕ Low tide and small swells; south winds blow straight in.

Watch out for

  • rocks
  • reef
  • crowds

Best months

November, December, January, February, March

Local tips

It gets very hollow around high tide and just after. On big, long-period swells an outer reef also breaks.

Getting there

Off the ER101 / VE3 between Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol, with parking at the Lugar de Baixo seafront.

History

Surfmarket says Sam George surfed it first in 1994 and called it Sammyland. A marina project in 2001 nearly destroyed it, until the Save The Waves Coalition stepped in.

Travel notes

How often it works
Fairly regular in winter with solid swells; it needs size to break well.
Crowd and vibe
Crowded when it breaks, being the nearest good wave to Funchal. Usually 10–20 surfers.
Camping and vans
Madeira has only one campsite, the council-run Parque de Campismo do Porto Moniz in the Ribeira da Janela valley on the north-west tip, which reopened in 2026 after repairs. Elsewhere camping is only allowed in licensed forest camping areas run by the IFCN, with a permit.
Facilities
A seafront area with a restaurant; Ponta do Sol and Ribeira Brava are a few minutes away.
Water quality
Lugar de Baixo was rated excellent in the EU bathing-water assessment (EEA data from APA and the regional government) for the last three seasons.

Ideal conditions

Swell
SW–WNW best, S–NW works
Size
1.8–3 m offshore swell; starts at 1.3 m, holds to 4.5 m
Period
11 s minimum, best from 14 s
Wind
Offshore NNW–NNE; handles onshore up to 10 km/h
Tide
mid, high best, avoid low
Faces
S (185°)

Live cam

No cam at this spot yet: the forecast and the guide are on the map.

In the guides

Nearby spots

All spots in Madeira · All spots

Sources