Rule
Dramatic Seascapes
Olhão - Dramatic Seascapes - Algarve, Portugal
Olhão, Faro, Portugal
Dramatic coastal photography conditions - powerful waves combined with atmospheric drama and good visibility for seascape shots.
Currently
Real-time conditionsWave Height4.4m
Swell Height2.3m
Wind Speed4.4m/s (calm conditions)
Cloud Cover100%
Upcoming Opportunities
When all conditions match, PhotoWeather marks an opportunity window.
Times shown in Europe/Lisbon
Next opportunity
Powerful Seascape at Sunrise
Olhão
Tomorrow · 07:00–08:00 · 1h window
Medium confidence
53%
🌊Coastal Drama Score81.8%
Wave Height: 4.1m
Swell Height: 2.4m
Wind Speed: 1.5m/s (calm conditions)
Cloud Cover: 2%
Powerful Seascape at Sunrise
Olhão
Mon, Apr 13 · 07:00–08:00
🌊Coastal Drama Score:79%
Medium
Powerful Seascape
Olhão
Mon, Apr 13 · 08:00–09:00
🌊Coastal Drama Score:81.3%
Medium
Powerful Seascape
Olhão
Wed, Apr 15 · 20:00–22:00
🌊Coastal Drama Score:75.3-95.5%
Low
What this forecast looks for
Plain-language explanation from the ruleThe Algarve coastline combines powerful Atlantic wave action with soft limestone geology, creating one of Europe's most dramatic coastal landscapes. Centuries of erosion have carved spectacular sea caves, towering stacks, and natural arches that demand careful timing for optimal conditions.
Benagil's famous sea cave—with its collapsed roof creating a natural skylight—becomes most dramatic when Atlantic swells surge through the entrance, creating dynamic foreground motion. Ponta da Piedade near Lagos features a maze of golden limestone pillars, sea arches, and hidden grottos best captured during stormy conditions when waves crash against the formations.
What makes Algarve coastal drama exceptional:
- Benagil Cathedral Cave - Iconic dome skylight with beach interior, best photographed by kayak or paddleboard
- Ponta da Piedade stacks - Dozens of formations creating intricate composition opportunities
- Sagres fortress cliffs - Europe's southwestern corner where Atlantic meets Mediterranean influence
- Erosion patterns - Honeycomb weathering and tafoni creating unique cliff textures
Winter months (November-February) bring the most powerful Atlantic storms and dramatic wave action. Sunrise often provides calmer conditions for sea cave access, while afternoon westerly winds create more dramatic spray and wave patterns. Always respect safety—these cliffs are actively eroding.
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72-hour requirements breakdown
What passed or failed, hour by hourAND logic: all conditions required
Meets requirement
Misses requirement
Time Europe/Lisbon | Coastal Drama Score ≥ 75.0% | Significant Wave Height ≥ 1.5m | Visibility ≥ 5000.0m | Wind Gusts ≤ 22.0m/s | Precipitation Chance ≤ 30.0% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Apr 8 | |||||
| 08:00 | 23% | 0.43m | 24135m | 3.3m/s | 76% |
| 09:00 | 15% | 0.55m | 24134m | 3.5m/s | 57% |
| 10:00 | 14% | 0.68m | 24135m | 3.6m/s | 39% |
| 11:00 | 14% | 0.7m | 24134m | 3.9m/s | 39% |
| 12:00 | 11% | 0.71m | 20701m | 4.4m/s | 39% |
| 13:00 | 5.1% | 0.58m | 23651m | 5.3m/s | 39% |
| 14:00 | 5.1% | 0.58m | 21817m | 5.7m/s | 26% |
| 15:00 | 5.1% | 0.59m | 21884m | 5.4m/s | 13% |
| 16:00 | 6.9% | 0.59m | 24135m | 4.7m/s | 0% |
| 17:00 | 8.9% | 0.59m | 24135m | 4.7m/s | 17% |
| 18:00 | 9.3% | 0.6m | 24134m | 4.5m/s | 33% |
| 19:00 | 11% | 0.68m | 24135m | 4.7m/s | 50% |
| 20:00 | 18% | 0.73m | 24135m | 4.6m/s | 15% |
| 21:00 | 6% | 0.63m | 24134m | 3.7m/s | 31% |
| 22:00 | 6% | 0.54m | 24134m | 3.6m/s | 46% |
| 23:00 | 5.7% | 0.64m | 24135m | 2.7m/s | 58% |
| Thu, Apr 9 | |||||
| 24:00 | 6.7% | 0.67m | 24135m | 2.1m/s | 70% |
| 01:00 | 5.4% | 0.69m | 24135m | 2.9m/s | 82% |
| 02:00 | 6.3% | 0.76m | 24134m | 4.9m/s | 84% |
| 03:00 | 6.2% | 0.84m | 24134m | 6.8m/s | 74% |
| 04:00 | 6.8% | 0.91m | 15213m | 8.3m/s | 64% |
| 05:00 | 6.7% | 0.94m | 10782m | 8.1m/s | 70% |
| 06:00 | 10% | 1m | 15977m | 7.1m/s | 77% |
| 07:00 | 81% | 4.6m | 22098m | 4.4m/s | 84% |
| 08:00 | 75% | 4.4m | 24135m | 4.5m/s | 75% |
| 09:00 | 63% | 4.3m | 24135m | 3.1m/s | 65% |
| 10:00 | 58% | 4.1m | 24134m | 3m/s | 56% |
| 11:00 | 59% | 4.2m | 24135m | 3.2m/s | 52% |
| 12:00 | 47% | 4.2m | 24134m | 2.1m/s | 48% |
| 13:00 | 44% | 4.2m | 24134m | 2.1m/s | 44% |
| 14:00 | 44% | 4.2m | 24135m | 3.4m/s | 37% |
| 15:00 | 52% | 4.1m | 24135m | 3.4m/s | 29% |
| 16:00 | 54% | 4m | 24135m | 2.9m/s | 22% |
| 17:00 | 60% | 3.9m | 24134m | 3m/s | 42% |
| 18:00 | 59% | 3.8m | 24135m | 3.6m/s | 62% |
| 19:00 | 84% | 3.7m | 24135m | 3.5m/s | 82% |
| 20:00 | 77% | 3.7m | 24135m | 3.5m/s | 68% |
| 21:00 | 29% | 3.7m | 24135m | 3.6m/s | 53% |
| 22:00 | 27% | 3.7m | 24134m | 4m/s | 39% |
| 23:00 | 24% | 3.8m | 24134m | 3.1m/s | 50% |
| Fri, Apr 10 | |||||
| 24:00 | 23% | 3.8m | 15762m | 2.3m/s | 62% |
| 01:00 | 22% | 3.9m | 18370m | 3.5m/s | 74% |
| 02:00 | 23% | 4m | 18851m | 3.4m/s | 58% |
| 03:00 | 27% | 4m | 23745m | 2.6m/s | 42% |
| 04:00 | 26% | 4.1m | 21944m | 2.1m/s | 25% |
| 05:00 | 28% | 4.1m | 22915m | 1.6m/s | 27% |
| 06:00 | 24% | 4.1m | 15911m | 2m/s | 28% |
| 07:00 | 82% | 4.1m | 24135m | 1.6m/s | 30% |
| 08:00 | 72% | 4.1m | 24134m | 0.81m/s | 33% |
| 09:00 | 63% | 4.1m | 24134m | 1m/s | 36% |
| 10:00 | 53% | 4.2m | 24135m | 0.41m/s | 39% |
| 11:00 | 53% | 4.6m | 24135m | 0.6m/s | 42% |
| 12:00 | 42% | 5.1m | 24135m | 1.3m/s | 46% |
| 13:00 | 45% | 5.6m | 24135m | 2.5m/s | 49% |
| 14:00 | 39% | 4.7m | 24135m | 2.3m/s | 49% |
| 15:00 | 42% | 4.7m | 24134m | 2.8m/s | 50% |
| 16:00 | 62% | 4.6m | 24135m | 4.2m/s | 50% |
| 17:00 | 55% | 4.3m | 23403m | 4.5m/s | 40% |
| 18:00 | 66% | 3.9m | 24135m | 6.7m/s | 31% |
| 19:00 | 71% | 3.6m | 24134m | 6.2m/s | 21% |
| 20:00 | 69% | 3.2m | 24135m | 4.5m/s | 21% |
| 21:00 | 17% | 2.9m | 24135m | 3.3m/s | 22% |
| 22:00 | 17% | 2.5m | 24134m | 6.4m/s | 22% |
| 23:00 | 16% | 2.4m | 24135m | 6.8m/s | 24% |
| Sat, Apr 11 | |||||
| 24:00 | 14% | 2.3m | 24135m | 5.7m/s | 26% |
| 01:00 | 20% | 2.1m | 24134m | 8.7m/s | 28% |
| 02:00 | 20% | 2m | 24135m | 8.4m/s | 52% |
| 03:00 | 11% | 2m | 24134m | 7m/s | 76% |
| 04:00 | 11% | 1.9m | 24135m | 6.7m/s | 100% |
| 05:00 | 9.8% | 1.8m | 24134m | 1.4m/s | 100% |
| 06:00 | 9.8% | 1.8m | 24135m | 0.9m/s | 100% |
| 07:00 | 30% | 1.7m | 24135m | 1.8m/s | 100% |
| 08:00 | 36% | 1.6m | 24134m | 3.1m/s | 77% |
| 09:00 | 34% | 1.6m | 24134m | 8m/s | 53% |
| 10:00 | 27% | 1.5m | 24134m | 3.4m/s | 30% |
| 11:00 | 24% | 1.5m | 24135m | 6.1m/s | 53% |
| 12:00 | 25% | 1.5m | 24135m | 7.1m/s | 77% |
| 13:00 | 24% | 1.4m | 24134m | 8.3m/s | 100% |
| 14:00 | 15% | 1.4m | 24134m | 13m/s | 67% |
| 15:00 | 14% | 1.4m | 24135m | 17m/s | 33% |
| 16:00 | 19% | 1.3m | 24135m | 21m/s | 0% |
| 17:00 | 19% | 1.3m | 24135m | 20m/s | 0% |
| 18:00 | 24% | 1.4m | 24135m | 19m/s | 0% |
| 19:00 | 29% | 1.4m | 24135m | 18m/s | 0% |
| 20:00 | 30% | 1.4m | 24135m | 18m/s | 0% |
| 21:00 | 25% | 1.5m | 24135m | 18m/s | 0% |
| 22:00 | 13% | 1.5m | 24135m | 18m/s | 0% |
| 23:00 | 13% | 1.7m | 24135m | 18m/s | 0% |
| Sun, Apr 12 | |||||
| 24:00 | 13% | 1.9m | 24135m | 17m/s | 0% |
| 01:00 | 19% | 2m | 24135m | 17m/s | 0% |
| 02:00 | 19% | 2.1m | 24135m | 17m/s | 0% |
| 03:00 | 18% | 2.2m | 24135m | 16m/s | 0% |
| 04:00 | 19% | 2.2m | 24135m | 16m/s | 0% |
| 05:00 | 19% | 2.2m | 24135m | 15m/s | 0% |
| 06:00 | 18% | 2.2m | 24135m | 14m/s | 0% |
How to read: colored cells show whether each predicate requirement is met; highlighted rows mean the full rule matched (an opportunity).
What does Coastal Drama Score mean?
Inputs that drive the scoreThis derived score summarizes multiple raw weather signals. The table below shows the supporting inputs hour by hour, so you can see what's pushing the score up or down.
| Time Europe/Lisbon | High Clouds % | Low Clouds % | Mid-Level Clouds % | Primary Swell Height m | Primary Wave Direction ° | Sea Salt AOD (550nm) | Solar Elevation ° | Total Cloud Coverage % | Wind Direction ° | Wind Speed m/s | Wind Wave Height m | Wind Wave Period s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Apr 9
Sunrise 07:05
Sunset 20:00 | ||||||||||||
| 08:00 | 0% | 100% | 100% | 2.3m | 88° | 0.01 | 10° | 100% | 43° | 4.4m/s | 3.5m | 11s |
| 09:00 | 0% | 100% | 20% | 2.3m | 95° | 0.007 | 22° | 100% | 27° | 2.7m/s | 3.4m | 11s |
| 10:00 | 0% | 91% | 21% | 2.2m | 102° | 0.01 | 34° | 91% | 6° | 2.4m/s | 3.2m | 11s |
| 11:00 | 0% | 94% | 5% | 2.4m | 132° | 0.01 | 45° | 94% | 0° | 2.4m/s | 3.2m | 12s |
| 12:00 | 0% | 100% | 5% | 2.5m | 162° | 0.02 | 54° | 100% | 294° | 0.51m/s | 3.2m | 12s |
| 13:00 | 0% | 100% | 1% | 2.6m | 192° | 0.02 | 60° | 100% | 235° | 2.6m/s | 3.2m | 13s |
| 14:00 | 0% | 100% | 1% | 2.6m | 190° | 0.02 | 60° | 100% | 245° | 3.8m/s | 3.1m | 13s |
| 15:00 | 0% | 60% | 0% | 2.6m | 189° | 0.02 | 55° | 60% | 254° | 4m/s | 3.1m | 12s |
| 16:00 | 0% | 11% | 2% | 2.7m | 187° | 0.02 | 46° | 11% | 251° | 3.5m/s | 3.1m | 12s |
| 17:00 | 0% | 8% | 60% | 2.6m | 166° | 0.02 | 35° | 60% | 248° | 3.7m/s | 3m | 12s |
| 18:00 | 0% | 0% | 100% | 2.5m | 145° | 0.02 | 23° | 100% | 254° | 4.2m/s | 2.9m | 11s |
| 19:00 | 0% | 0% | 78% | 2.4m | 124° | 0.02 | 11° | 78% | 262° | 3.6m/s | 2.8m | 11s |
| 20:00 | 0% | 1% | 100% | 2.4m | 148° | 0.02 | -0.19° | 100% | 256° | 3.5m/s | 2.8m | 12s |
| 21:00 ☾ | 0% | 2% | 61% | 2.4m | 172° | 0.02 | -12° | 61% | 270° | 3.6m/s | 2.8m | 12s |
| 22:00 ☾ | 0% | 1% | 29% | 2.5m | 196° | 0.02 | -23° | 29% | 293° | 4m/s | 2.8m | 13s |
| 23:00 ☾ | 76% | 5% | 100% | 2.5m | 196° | 0.02 | -33° | 100% | 294° | 3.1m/s | 2.8m | 13s |
| Fri, Apr 10
Sunrise 07:05
Sunset 20:00 | ||||||||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | 100% | 0% | 100% | 2.6m | 196° | 0.03 | -40° | 100% | 267° | 2.4m/s | 2.8m | 12s |
| 01:00 ☾ | 100% | 0% | 100% | 2.6m | 196° | 0.04 | -44° | 100% | 251° | 3.3m/s | 2.8m | 12s |
| 02:00 ☾ | 100% | 0% | 100% | 2.6m | 193° | 0.03 | -45° | 100% | 287° | 3.1m/s | 3m | 12s |
| 03:00 ☾ | 62% | 11% | 100% | 2.6m | 190° | 0.02 | -41° | 100% | 300° | 2.3m/s | 3.1m | 12s |
| 04:00 ☾ | 1% | 21% | 100% | 2.6m | 187° | 0.02 | -33° | 100% | 322° | 1.7m/s | 3.2m | 12s |
| 05:00 ☾ | 0% | 36% | 100% | 2.5m | 155° | 0.02 | -24° | 100% | 354° | 1.4m/s | 3.2m | 11s |
| 06:00 ☾ | 0% | 16% | 97% | 2.4m | 123° | 0.02 | -13° | 97% | 47° | 2m/s | 3.3m | 11s |
| 07:00 ☾ | 0% | 0% | 2% | 2.4m | 90° | 0.02 | -1.5° | 2% | 35° | 1.5m/s | 3.3m | 10s |
| 08:00 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2.3m | 86° | 0.02 | 10° | 0% | 60° | 0.64m/s | 3.4m | 10s |
| 09:00 | 0% | 0% | 4% | 2.2m | 81° | 0.02 | 22° | 4% | 194° | 0.84m/s | 3.5m | 10s |
| 10:00 | 0% | 0% | 1% | 2.1m | 76° | 0.02 | 34° | 1% | 152° | 0.39m/s | 3.6m | 10s |
| 11:00 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 2m | 71° | 0.02 | 45° | 0% | 177° | 0.68m/s | 4.1m | 11s |
| 12:00 | 5% | 0% | 5% | 1.9m | 65° | 0.02 | 54° | 5% | 198° | 1.6m/s | 4.7m | 11s |
| 13:00 | 100% | 0% | 100% | 1.8m | 59° | 0.02 | 60° | 100% | 234° | 3.1m/s | 5.3m | 11s |
| 14:00 | 100% | 0% | 99% | 1.7m | 57° | - | 60° | 100% | 222° | 2.7m/s | 5.2m | 11s |
| 15:00 | 5% | 0% | 100% | 1.6m | 56° | - | 55° | 100% | 229° | 3.3m/s | 5.1m | 11s |
| 16:00 | 26% | 0% | 24% | 1.5m | 54° | - | 46° | 26% | 254° | 5.1m/s | 5m | 11s |
| 17:00 | 17% | 0% | 13% | 2.1m | 55° | - | 35° | 19% | 259° | 5m/s | 3.9m | 11s |
| 18:00 | 51% | 0% | 14% | 2.7m | 56° | - | 23° | 51% | 266° | 7.2m/s | 2.7m | 11s |
| 19:00 | 74% | 0% | 28% | 3.3m | 58° | - | 11° | 74% | 275° | 5.4m/s | 1.6m | 11s |
| 20:00 | 16% | 0% | 1% | 3m | 58° | - | 0.06° | 16% | 271° | 3.8m/s | 1.6m | 11s |
| 21:00 ☾ | 98% | 20% | 4% | 2.6m | 59° | - | -12° | 98% | 300° | 3m/s | 1.6m | 11s |
| 22:00 ☾ | 20% | 5% | 0% | 2.3m | 60° | - | -23° | 22% | 338° | 4.1m/s | 1.5m | 11s |
| 23:00 ☾ | 15% | 0% | 5% | 2.1m | 60° | - | -32° | 16% | 357° | 4.6m/s | 1.2m | 11s |
| Sat, Apr 11
Sunrise 07:04
Sunset 20:01 | ||||||||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | 100% | 0% | 50% | 2m | 60° | - | -40° | 100% | 27° | 4.1m/s | 0.95m | 11s |
| 01:00 ☾ | 52% | 0% | 4% | 1.8m | 61° | - | -44° | 52% | 3° | 5m/s | 0.66m | 11s |
| 02:00 ☾ | 26% | 0% | 5% | 1.7m | 62° | - | -44° | 26% | 339° | 4.8m/s | 0.75m | 10s |
| 03:00 ☾ | 5% | 0% | 4% | 1.6m | 63° | - | -40° | 5% | 352° | 3.3m/s | 0.83m | 10s |
| 04:00 ☾ | 0% | 0% | 2% | 1.5m | 65° | - | -33° | 2% | 344° | 2.9m/s | 0.92m | 10s |
| 05:00 ☾ | 4% | 0% | 0% | 1.5m | 72° | - | -24° | 4% | 29° | 0.53m/s | 0.78m | 9.9s |
| 06:00 ☾ | 4% | 0% | 0% | 1.4m | 79° | - | -13° | 4% | 229° | 1.1m/s | 0.63m | 9.6s |
| 07:00 ☾ | 0% | 0% | 1% | 1.4m | 86° | - | -1.1° | 1% | 245° | 1.9m/s | 0.49m | 9.4s |
| 08:00 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1.4m | 92° | - | 11° | 0% | 315° | 1.9m/s | 0.51m | 9.3s |
| 09:00 | 18% | 4% | 0% | 1.3m | 98° | - | 23° | 18% | 314° | 4.6m/s | 0.54m | 9.1s |
| 10:00 | 90% | 5% | 1% | 1.2m | 104° | - | 34° | 90% | 299° | 2.2m/s | 0.56m | 9s |
| 11:00 | 4% | 2% | 0% | 1.2m | 107° | - | 45° | 6% | 298° | 4.8m/s | 0.61m | 8.9s |
| 12:00 | 1% | 50% | 0% | 1.1m | 111° | - | 55° | 50% | 312° | 5.4m/s | 0.67m | 8.8s |
| 13:00 | 13% | 13% | 0% | 1m | 115° | - | 60° | 21% | 342° | 7m/s | 0.72m | 8.6s |
| 14:00 | 9% | 9% | 0% | 0.96m | 117° | - | 61° | 14% | 340° | 9.5m/s | 0.9m | 8.6s |
| 15:00 | 4% | 4% | 0% | 0.89m | 119° | - | 55° | 7% | 337° | 12m/s | 1.1m | 8.5s |
| 16:00 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.81m | 121° | - | 46° | 0% | 335° | 14m/s | 1.3m | 8.5s |
| 17:00 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.75m | 108° | - | 35° | 0% | 335° | 14m/s | 1.4m | 7.7s |
| 18:00 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.69m | 94° | - | 24° | 0% | 334° | 13m/s | 1.5m | 6.9s |
| 19:00 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.63m | 80° | - | 12° | 0% | 334° | 13m/s | 1.5m | 6.1s |
| 20:00 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.61m | 80° | - | 0.2° | 0% | 334° | 13m/s | 1.6m | 6.3s |
| 21:00 ☾ | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.6m | 79° | - | -12° | 0% | 334° | 12m/s | 1.7m | 6.4s |
| 22:00 ☾ | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.58m | 79° | - | -23° | 0% | 333° | 12m/s | 1.8m | 6.5s |
| 23:00 ☾ | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0.81m | 94° | - | -32° | 0% | 335° | 12m/s | 1.8m | 8.5s |
| Sun, Apr 12
Sunrise 07:03
Sunset 20:02 | ||||||||||||
| 24:00 ☾ | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1m | 108° | - | -40° | 0% | 336° | 11m/s | 1.9m | 10s |
| 01:00 ☾ | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1.3m | 123° | - | -44° | 0% | 338° | 10m/s | 1.9m | 12s |
| 02:00 ☾ | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1.5m | 122° | - | -44° | 0% | 340° | 11m/s | 1.8m | 12s |
| 03:00 ☾ | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1.7m | 121° | - | -40° | 0% | 342° | 11m/s | 1.7m | 12s |
| 04:00 ☾ | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1.9m | 120° | - | -33° | 0% | 344° | 12m/s | 1.7m | 12s |
| 05:00 ☾ | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1.8m | 119° | - | -23° | 0% | 342° | 12m/s | 1.6m | 12s |
| 06:00 ☾ | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1.8m | 118° | - | -13° | 0% | 341° | 12m/s | 1.6m | 12s |
| 07:00 ☾ | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1.8m | 117° | - | -0.81° | 0% | 339° | 11m/s | 1.6m | 12s |
How to read: these inputs help produce the derived score; they are not requirements by themselves.
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