Reef

right

Level 8/10

Alibaba

Sal, Cape Verde

🪸Sharp reef⚠️Shallow🦔Urchins

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Alibaba is a world-class A-frame reef break on Sal Island, producing fast, hollow barrels over volcanic rock. The right is longer and more makeable, but the left offers its own rewards. When big NW swells hit, the wave transforms into a serious proposition, demanding respect and experience. One of the Atlantic's best waves.

10-Day Forecast

Today5

Poor

0.7mN@8s

9km/h

0.7m@8s

9km/h

Thu6

Poor

0.9mNNE@9s

8km/h

0.9m@9s

8km/h

Fri7

Poor

0.9mNNE@9s

15km/h

0.9m@9s

15km/h

Sat8

Poor

0.8mNNE@9s

18km/h

0.8m@9s

18km/h

Sun9

Poor

0.8mN@10s

21km/h

0.8m@10s

21km/h

Mon10

Poor

1.2mN@11s

25km/h

1.2m@11s

25km/h

Tue11

Poor

1.5mNNE@10s

24km/h

1.5m@10s

24km/h

Wed12

Poor

1.7mNNE@9s

23km/h

1.7m@9s

23km/h

Thu13

Poor

1.3mNNE@9s

16km/h

1.3m@9s

16km/h

Fri14

Poor

0.9mN@8s

16km/h

0.9m@8s

16km/h

Choppy 5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 5 km/h · PM 15 km/h · Low tide at 5am (0.2m)

Swell

0.7m

N(8°)

Score: 1/25

Period

Short period / windswell

Score: 1/25

Wind

9km/h

WSW(256°)

Score: 11/25

Weather

29°C

0.0mm8%

First light 5:43amSunrise 6:13amSunset 7:02pmLast light 7:32pm

Secondary0.3mConfidence

100%

Location & Conditions

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Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 8:56am–3:12pm · through highIdeal tide: 0.5–1.8m

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

°C

24°

28°

31°

29°

26°

29°

32°

30°

26°

29°

32°

29°

26°

29°

33°

32°

29°

26°

28°

31°

29°

26°

28°

31°

28°

26°

28°

30°

29°

26°

28°

30°

29°

28°

25°

28°

30°

29°

26°

28°

30°

29°

2m1.0

sec

10s

11s

10s

swell

windkm/h

5g8

4g14

8g22

16g31

14g26

7g10

9g22

4g21

8g21

9g18

9g13

12g24

15g30

18g34

18g31

12g17

17g29

19g35

22g39

20g36

19g26

22g36

21g39

22g39

19g39

22g31

27g43

25g45

25g44

24g43

19g34

22g39

25g42

26g43

25g43

21g30

22g36

23g41

24g45

21g46

12g19

14g26

15g32

17g34

20g35

16g22

16g27

16g31

16g35

14g35

tidem

5:47am0.2m

12:00pm0.8m

6:30pm0.2m

12:38am0.7m

6:47am0.2m

12:55pm0.7m

7:12pm0.2m

1:30am0.7m

7:50am0.2m

2:06pm0.6m

8:18pm0.3m

2:45am0.7m

9:10am0.3m

3:42pm0.6m

9:40pm0.3m

4:18am0.7m

10:50am0.2m

5:06pm0.6m

5:30am0.8m

12:10pm0.2m

6:12pm0.7m

6:42am0.9m

1:07pm0.1m

7:10pm0.7m

12:52am0.1m

7:30am1.0m

1:50pm0.0m

8:00pm0.8m

1:40am0.1m

8:18am1.0m

2:30pm0.0m

8:42pm0.8m

2:20am0.0m

9:00am1.1m

3:13pm0.0m

9:19pm0.8m

Ideal tideStrike windowNight

Tide times today

5:47 am

Low tide - 0.21m

12:00 pm

High tide - 0.80m

6:30 pm

Low tide - 0.19m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction2/25

Swell Size1/25

Swell Period1/25

Wind11/25

Raw Score15/100

Adjustments

🌊 Tide+1

💨 Gusty Wind-4

⚠️ Weak Component-5

📉 Undersized Swell-11

🚫 Undersized Capmax 15

Adjusted Score0/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score0

🌊 Partly in the tide window

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to SID, departing today with a 5-day trip window.

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Location & Conditions

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Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

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Spot Details

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction: NW (315°)
Direction range: 280° - 350°
Size range: 1.8m - 4m
Ideal size: 3.3m
Height multiplier: 0.97×
Ideal period: 16s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: E (90°)
Offshore range: 60° - 130°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: low
Optimal range: 0.5m - 1.8m

Water temp

23°C

Wetsuit

Springsuit / 2mm

Difficulty

8/10

Crowd level

4/10

Access: World-class A-frame. Fast shallow barrels over volcanic reef.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Alibaba?

Alibaba works best on a low tide, ideally between 0.5m and 1.8m on the local tide chart. The tide chart above shows today’s strike window.

What wind direction is offshore at Alibaba?

Offshore wind at Alibaba blows from the E (90°). Anything in the 60° to 130° range grooms the faces; outside it, expect chop or bumpy conditions.

What swell size and direction work best at Alibaba?

Alibaba wants NW swell (280° to 350°) between 1.8m and 4m, with a period of 16s or more for quality waves.

When is the best time of year to surf Alibaba?

The main season at Alibaba is Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar. A secondary window runs Apr, Sep. Winter NW swells. World-class A-frame. Fast shallow barrels over volcanic reef.