Santa Cruz/Lagoa.

Santa Cruz/Lagoa is a reef break sitting at the base of the church in the center of Santa Cruz on the south coast of Sao Miguel, Azores. The wave is a short, fast left that peels over shallow uneven reef and demands a strong, clean S or SW groundswell to show its best. On the right conditions the takeoff is vertical and the barrel sections are well-covered, rewarding committed intermediates and advanced surfers who can read a shallow reef quickly. Wave length is typically 0 to 50 meters. A second point known as the Lagoa section sits nearby and only comes to life when swell exceeds approximately 2.7 meters, adding length to the ride on the bigger swells that occasionally arrive from the south. The spot works across all tide stages but favors low to rising tide when the reef is most defined and the barrels most consistent. Northerly winds are offshore and the most reliable cleaning agent. The south coast swell window is broad, accepting SE through W energy, though the wave reaches its best form on a pure S or SSW groundswell with 12-plus second period.