Towns & villages · 16 m above the sea
Paul do Mar
Madeira's surf capital: a working harbor village under an 8-metre winter wave.
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The place
Paul do Mar's punchy, barreling right-hander broke onto the world stage when it hosted the 2001 World Big Wave Championship, and it still draws expert surfers chasing tube sections on the big winter days. Off the water it's a working fishing harbor with a lota (fish auction house) and slipway, quieter and less visited than its famous neighbor Jardim do Mar just up the coast.
When to come
November-March for size and consistency; the wave is for advanced surfers only.
Worth knowing
- Watch from the harbor wall if you're not surfing
- Steep PR19 trail down from Prazeres arrives here
- Small pebble cove, not really a bathing beach
- Limited parking near the harbor