Sagres – Tonel

Sagres · Algarve · Portugal

Live cam and today’s forecast: the live surf cam and the current surf forecast for Sagres – Tonel (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/sagres-tonel.

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Tonel is the west-facing bay below Sagres fort and the main surf beach of the town. A big rock stack sits in the middle of the bay, and on large days a powerful A-frame breaks in front of it, with hollow lefts and wedgy rights. It picks up almost all the Atlantic swell, so it is the place to go when the south coast is flat.

Level
Intermediate
Break
Beach break, sand and rock
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Busy
Season
autumn, winter, spring, summer
Boards
A shortboard or fish; foam boards for the schools in summer.

When it works

✓ A 1–2.5 m west to north-west swell with a north-east to east wind, from low to mid tide.

When it doesn't

✕ Onshore winds, and huge storm swells, which close out.

Watch out for

  • rips
  • currents
  • rocks

Best months

September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May

Local tips

The currents swirl around the central rock as the tide drops. Use them to paddle out only if you know how.

Getting there

From Sagres follow the road towards the fort; a track leads to Tonel Beach Bar and the stairs down.

Travel notes

How often it works
Quite consistent all year, with winter the best season.
Crowd and vibe
Rarely crowded; surf schools keep the mood friendly.
Camping and vans
Orbitur Sagres is about 2 km away. The west coast and the Sagres area lie in the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park, where motorhome overnight parking is banned outside campsites and authorised areas. Nearest campsite about 2 km away.
Facilities
Lifeguards in summer, toilets, showers, parking and a beach bar.
Water quality
Rated excellent in the 2025 official bathing-water classification (APA), and it flies a Blue Flag in 2026.

Ideal conditions

Swell
W–NW best, SW–NNW works
Size
1.2–2.5 m offshore swell; starts at 0.8 m, holds to 3.5 m
Period
9 s minimum, best from 12 s
Wind
Offshore NNE–ESE; handles onshore up to 10 km/h
Tide
low, mid best, avoid high
Faces
WSW (245°)

Live cam

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

In the guides

Nearby spots

All spots in Algarve · All spots

Sources