Santa Cruz
Torres Vedras · Portugal Centro · Portugal
Live cam and today’s forecast: the live surf cams and the current surf forecast for Santa Cruz (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/torres-vedras-santa-cruz.
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Santa Cruz is the beach town of Torres Vedras, with several beaches divided by rock stacks. The main surf beach is Praia da Física, a powerful beach break with lefts and rights. Wannasurf rates it a regional classic.
- Level
- Intermediate
- Break
- Beach break, sand and rock
- Waves
- Lefts and rights
- Crowd
- Crowded
- Season
- autumn, winter, spring
- Boards
- A shortboard.
When it works
✓ A 1–2 m west swell with an east wind, at any tide.
When it doesn't
✕ Strong north or west wind, and big swells.
Watch out for
- rocks
- localism
- crowds
- rips
Best months
March, April, September, October, November
Local tips
Respect the locals; wannasurf reports localism. Look at the different beaches between the rocks to find the best bank.
Getting there
Santa Cruz is about 15 km west of Torres Vedras. Park in town above the beaches.
Travel notes
- How often it works
- Surf-forecast rates it fairly consistent all year, at all tides.
- Crowd and vibe
- Few surfers on weekdays and crowded at weekends.
- Facilities
- Lifeguards in season, a first-aid post, toilets, showers and beach bars. Restaurants and shops in town.
- Water quality
- Física beach was rated excellent in APA's latest annual classification and flies a Blue Flag in 2026.
Ideal conditions
- Swell
- W–NW best, WSW–NNW works
- Size
- 1–2 m offshore swell; starts at 0.6 m, holds to 2.6 m
- Period
- 8 s minimum, best from 11 s
- Wind
- Offshore ENE–SSE; handles onshore up to 12 km/h
- Tide
- mid best
- Faces
- WNW (303°)
Live cams
- Santa Cruz – Navio · MEO Beachcam
- Santa Cruz – north (Física) · MEO Beachcam
- Santa Cruz – Praia do Navio · Surftotal
Cams © their operators, shown from the operator's own feed.
Nearby spots
- Praia Azul 3.0 km · Intermediate
- Santa Rita 4.3 km · Beginner
- Areia Branca 14 km · Intermediate
- Ericeira – São Lourenço 14 km · Advanced
- Ericeira – Coxos 15 km · Expert
- Ericeira – Cave 16 km · Expert