São Torpes

Sines · Alentejo · Portugal

Live cam and today’s forecast: the live surf cam and the current surf forecast for São Torpes (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/sao-torpes.

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São Torpes is a long beach just south of Sines, facing south-west. Cape Sines shelters it from the north wind, so it often stays clean when the rest of the coast is blown out. Water from the nearby power plant used to make it a little warmer than elsewhere. Small days are easy, and on bigger days it can barrel.

Level
Beginners
Break
Beach break, sand and rock
Waves
Lefts and rights
Crowd
Busy
Season
autumn, winter, spring, summer
Boards
Everything from foam boards to shortboards.

When it works

✓ A 1–2.5 m west to south-west swell with a north-east wind; it works on all tides.

When it doesn't

✕ South and south-west winds, and swells from the north, which miss it.

Watch out for

  • rocks
  • rips

Best months

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

Local tips

This is the place to check when the summer north wind ruins the west-facing beaches. Several surf schools work here.

Getting there

On the coast road south of Sines towards Porto Covo, with parking all along the beach.

Travel notes

How often it works
Dependable: it works on most swells with some west in them, at any time of year.
Crowd and vibe
Busy with schools in summer but rarely crowded. Guides describe the crowd as very friendly.
Camping and vans
The São Torpes campsite is about 2 km away. The coast from São Torpes south lies 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, surf schools and beach bars.
Water quality
Rated excellent in the 2025 official bathing-water classification (APA), and it flies a Blue Flag in 2026.

Ideal conditions

Swell
SW–W best, S–WNW 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 N–E; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
Tide
mid best
Faces
SW (220°)

Live cam

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

In the guides

Nearby spots

All spots in Alentejo · All spots

Sources