Alvor

Praia de Alvor functions as a protected lagoon with navigation very different from the open beach. The water surface is generally flat to slightly choppy inside, with cleaner behavior at low tide. The spot is especially interesting when the wind comes in regularly, as the area then offers good terrain for freeride, progression, and practicing jibes.

The most exploitable wind is often a flow from NW to NNW, which arrives more steadily in this part of the Algarve. In this type of orientation, the wind is generally side-on to side-shore depending on the exact navigation spot in the lagoon. Outside of these orientations, the spot remains navigable, but the alignment is less clean and the quality of the water surface may degrade. Access to the water is generally easy, with shallow launch areas, but it is important to keep space for departures and returns, especially when the spot is busy.

The inner area remains the most interesting for clean navigation, while more exposed sectors can become more irregular with some chop. At high tide, the water rises and the reading of the spot changes, with more space in some areas but sometimes a less taut water surface. It is a spot that requires careful observation of the tide state before heading out, as navigation is much better when one knows the areas where one can stand and the places where the water becomes deeper.