Surfing on Santa Maria: Praia Formosa in summer, Anjos in winter, and the São Lourenço paddle route

Santa Maria has two surf spots on the tourism board's official list, and they sit on opposite coasts. Praia Formosa on the south coast works on summer swell; Anjos on the north coast works in winter. The island adds one stand-up paddle route, along the cliffs south of São Lourenço. Which coast gets waves depends on the month, so plan the trip around the season first.

The Azores tourism board's surf site lists eight schools and operators. They are all on São Miguel or Terceira; none is on Santa Maria (checked in November 2026). The one rental we found on the island is the Praia Formosa campsite: its bungalow page lists surfboard hire and its home page lists kayaks. Neither page gives sizes or prices, so ask before you rely on it, and plan to bring your own board, wetsuit and reef boots if you can.

In 2026 Atlânticoline ran no ferry to Vila do Porto, so a board comes in by air. On SATA Air Açores a surfboard or bodyboard may be up to 200 cm long, 60 cm wide and 50 cm high. A longboard or a stand-up paddleboard may be up to 240 cm. Either travels as its own piece in a sturdy board bag with an extra 10 kg allowance. Book the board when you book the flight: without a confirmed booking it is charged at the airport and flies only if there is space. Check the rules again before you go, because they change.

The sea is about 17.5 °C in February and March, 20.5 °C in June and at its warmest in September at about 23.5 °C. A full wetsuit is right for the winter waves at Anjos; a spring suit is often enough at Praia Formosa in August.

The official guide calls Formosa the best wave on the island and gives it five stars for quality, but only two for consistency. It is a right-hand point that breaks off the western end of the beach, in front of the ruined São João Baptista fort. The take-off is fast and leads onto a good wall. It works at 1 to 2 m from low to half tide on a southerly swell, with a north to north-east wind blowing offshore. Above 2 m the peak drifts east and the wave fattens and closes out more often.

You paddle out from the sand, which makes this the easier spot to reach. The bottom is pebble and rock, and surf-forecast.com warns of rocks and rips. Its figures call for patience: even in August, the best month, it rates the waves clean about 15% of the time, blown out 16% and too small for most surfers the remaining 69%. The official guide lists it for intermediate and experienced surfers and says it is the most crowded spot on the island.

Summer here is also the bathing season. In 2026 the lifeguards were on the beach from 12 June to 13 September, and the Maré de Agosto festival fills the bay in August. Stay well clear of swimmers and ask the lifeguard where boards are welcome. Our Santa Maria beaches guide covers the beach itself, and the camping guide covers the campsite behind the beach.

Anjos, on the north coast about 4 km from the airport, needs a swell from the north and a south to south-east wind. Surf-forecast.com names winter as its season and February as its best month, with clean waves about 26% of the time and blown-out conditions 62% of the time, and says it is rarely crowded.

The wave is a right that breaks in front of the car park of the natural pools beside the fishing harbour. The official guide gives it four stars for quality and three for consistency, and describes it as thick and powerful, with a good start that leaves room for turns. Best at 2 to 3 m around half to high tide, and for intermediate and experienced surfers only. You get in and out over the rocks in front of the break. On big days people use the pool or the fishing harbour to the west instead. On smaller days pointed rocks show on the inside, so boots are worth having.

The same northerly swell that makes the wave closes the sea pool, so on a surf day at Anjos there is no swimming. Columbus's crew is said to have come ashore in this bay in 1493, and the chapel above the harbour is thought to be the oldest Christian building in the Azores. Our guide to Vila do Porto and Anjos covers both.

The official site lists one paddle route on the island, from the Baía de São Lourenço on the east coast. Inside the bay the water is clear over scattered reefs. The route itself leaves the bay heading south and follows a tall sea cliff to a second, larger bay with caves you can paddle into and a beach with no road to it.

It is a calm-day trip: no wind and no swell. The bay faces east, so it stays flat in the usual westerlies and gets choppy when the wind swings east. Do not set out if there is any swell, because the caves and the cliff leave nowhere to land. The road down to the beach is steep and the car parks sit up on the vineyard terraces, so carrying a hard board down is a chore; an inflatable one is easier, and it also fits inside the 240 cm airline limit. Our São Lourenço guide covers the bay and the viewpoints above it.

• June to September: Praia Formosa on a southerly swell, often small. A good season for paddling at São Lourenço on calm days, and the sea is at its warmest.
• October to March: Anjos on a northerly swell, with more wind and more blown-out days. Formosa needs a southerly swell, which this season brings less often.
• Any month: give yourself several days. With clean waves less than a third of the time even in the best month, a weekend can easily miss them.

Can I rent a surfboard on Santa Maria? No surf school on Santa Maria appears on the Azores tourism board's official list (November 2026). The Praia Formosa campsite lists surfboard and kayak hire, without sizes or prices; ask ahead, or bring your own board.

Can I fly to Santa Maria with a surfboard or paddleboard? Yes. SATA Air Açores takes surfboards up to 200 cm and longboards or paddleboards up to 240 cm, with an extra 10 kg allowance. Book the board with the flight.

When are the waves best on Santa Maria? It depends on the coast: Anjos in winter on a northerly swell, Praia Formosa in summer on a southerly one, often August.

Is Santa Maria good for beginners? Not really. Both official spots are listed for intermediate and experienced surfers, there is no school on the island, and both break near rocks. Beginners do better learning on São Miguel first.