Wetsuit Needed for Portugal

trevorbc

Michael Peterson status
Jun 27, 2012
2,792
682
113
cold
I'm going to Portugal on October 21. We are going to be in the South near Praia do Cavaleiro. Research says:
19.9°C, the minimum temperature is 16.2°C. 60-68F. Wind I'm sure is a factor. I surfed in a 4/3 with hood and boots this morning with a 60F water temp but it was 37 degrees F this morning. It would be nice to only bring one suit. If the water is 68F and the air is warm short arm full. If the water is 60 and air is cold, I'd probably be what I'm in here in Maine. Anyone been that time of year?
 

slipped_disc

Billy Hamilton status
Jun 27, 2019
1,453
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Bettah safe than sorry with a fah/three, bub. if i were surfing in 60 degree water at dawn and only had one suit (meaning it's gonna be perpetually wet the whole trip), i'd rather have the 4/3. easy enough to flush out heat.
 
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MathDebater

Michael Peterson status
Apr 13, 2016
2,580
6,118
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SD
I went basically the same time last year and trekked from Sagres to Peniche with a "warm" 3/2 (Oneill Psychotech) and I was actually a bit hot down south. The weather was beautiful down there to the point where I was wishing for a top and trunks. It couldn't have been below 65 in Peniche by the time we got there a the end of October. Even then, it was still relatively warm air temp so the 3/2 was extremely comfortable. Winds were never howling when I was there.

Probably best to see if you can find some local temp readings to gauge if it's a typical year or not.

It was an epic trip, what an amazing country. Even the surfers were nice. Lots of learners in the major surf towns that have even less etiquette than here in San Diego but other than that I loved it. You could always find some place offshore thanks to all the angles in the coast. If you can find someone to share some local knowledge it goes a looooong way.