Surfing Tonel

Tonel is the beach right below the town of Sagres, under the fortress. It faces west into the open Atlantic, so it's the most exposed beach in Sagres and picks up swell when the south-facing beaches are flat. That's why people call it the swell magnet of Sagres.

It breaks over sand with lefts and rights, and it works best on a west swell with a north-east offshore wind. On small days surf schools use it for lessons; in winter it's often big and powerful, and then it's for experienced surfers. When Tonel is too big or too windy, Mareta, on the other side of town, is the sheltered option.