Foz do Arelho occupies a rare geographic position on Portugal's Silver Coast: a narrow sand bar where the 7-kilometre Óbidos Lagoon drains into the Atlantic Ocean. This geography creates two completely different windsurfing environments within 200 metres of each other — the glassy lagoon for flat-water freestyle and progression, and the open ocean for wave sailing and jumping. It's this duality that has made Foz do Arelho one of Portugal's most beloved windsurf destinations for over three decades.

The wind here is consistent and reliable. Portugal's summer Nortada — the northern trade wind — drives north-northwest winds at 15 to 30 knots through June, July, August, and September, building thermally through the afternoon to peak around 3–6pm. The lagoon's orientation means the wind is side-shore across the flat water, ideal for beginners learning to plane and intermediate riders building speed and carving. The same wind hits the ocean bar at a slight cross-onshore angle, creating the conditions wave sailors crave.

Outside the peak wind months, Foz do Arelho is still a destination worth visiting. Spring (April–May) brings the first reliable thermals and near-empty beaches. Autumn (October–November) sees the Atlantic swell build while the Nortada continues — the best conditions for experienced wave riders. Even winter, when the village is quiet and the restaurants are half-price, produces wild sessions when Atlantic low-pressure systems push in strong westerlies.

The village of Foz do Arelho has about 2,500 permanent residents and a handful of good seafood restaurants, a small supermarket, and a couple of windsurf and kite schools on the lagoon bank. It's a genuine fishing and sailing community, not a tourist resort — which is exactly what makes it special. Medieval Óbidos is 10 minutes inland; the Peniche peninsula and its world-class surf is 35 minutes north; Lisbon is 80 minutes south.