January is deep winter on the west coast. The North Atlantic lows are at their most productive and something is breaking every day of the month, from Peniche to Ericeira to the Algarve. What decides a trip is not whether there are waves.
The useful count is this: ten January days out of thirty are clean, about double the summer share, and still means two days in three are wind or storm. The water is at 15°C, so a 4/3 with boots, and Nazaré is in the middle of its big-wave season a little further north. Come with a week and a car, not a spot and a weekend.
