August is the peak of the summer, in every sense except the surf. The nortada is unchanged, the swell is unchanged, and the west coast beaches from Caparica to Baleal are at their fullest. On the water that means the same early morning window shared with more people.
The Algarve is still the answer for the wind, and the far north around Porto holds up better than the centre when a rare summer swell arrives. What August genuinely has going for it is the water at 18°C and the certainty: nothing will surprise you, in either direction. The season starts again in three weeks.
