Ericiera - A SUP Surf Guide

This was my second time surfing and visiting the town of Ericiera in Portugal. Each trip has made me fall in love with its waves, culture and scenery further. With powerful, consistent waves, an incredible year round climate and lots to do off the water, it could be Europe’s ultimate surf destination.

Situated less than an hour's drive on Portugal’s efficient toll Motorway system from Lisbon Airport, it is extremely easy to get to, making it great for quick visits as well as longer stays.

I have been greeted with pretty exceptional weather on both visits here (November and December), and the feeling of sunshine on the skin is pretty intoxicating arriving from deepest, darkest Scotland. High teens to early twenties were the norm in the day time, a wee bit cooler on the nights. Perfect ‘Doing things’ temperatures for me personally and watching the sun go down with a beer in hand while wearing board shorts in the Winter is a feeling I shall never get tired of.

Ericiera is one of Portugal’s, indeed, Europes, Surfing capitals. Home to a round of the WSL Surf World Tour’s competitions, and near to Peniche (home of the barrel fest wave that is Supertubos) and Nazare (home to possibly the World’s biggest surfed wave). It is full of surf shops, surf schools and the associated cultures with this. It is a great place to immerse yourself in the youthful energy this brings with it. It is a World Surfing Reserve, one of only 10 Worldwide, recognizing not just the quality of the surf breaks but its environmental, social and economic impact.

For a travelling surfer, it is an incredible location with a huge variety of places to surf in a relatively short space. One thing to note is that the surf can be huge here, especially in the winter. Expect big, powerful swells exploding after crossing the Atlantic. But, as the number of surf schools in the town testify, there are places where you can find smaller, less challenging conditions. The towns of Estoril and Cascais, and the Costa de Caparica, an hour or so’s drive south all offer beaches with different angles to those in Ericiera, so it is always worth looking at their forecasts if Ericiera is looking scarily big.

Probably the most famous wave in Ericeria, just north of town is Ribeira. A gorgeous beach with a couple of reefs which make for some metronomic lines of surf to be rolling in. This means that, while there are rocks and slabs underneath you which can be daunting at first, the waves break with mechanical consistency, so lining up the perfect place to take off is easy. I surfed here from 2ft to about 8ft, but there were days much bigger than that. The standard of surfing, like most places around here, is extremely high, so can be both slightly intimidating as well as inspirational.  Take your time, be respectful and you can snag some unforgettable waves. For a slightly less intense line up atmosphere, the right breaks, as you look out from the beach, are slightly less performance orientated.

There are plenty of other incredible, powerful, performance waves, usually slabby reefs. Unless you are a pro, you may find that these spots are not for you when it is firing, but they are well worth watching the action. Coxos, Backdoor and Pedra Branca would all certainly fall into this category.

Praia Sul, Matadouros and, when everything is huge, the normally calm, Praia  Pescadores are all more manageable locations to check out. Matadouros, for example, a firm surf school favourite, has much smaller waves near to shore as rocks offshore mean the waves lose power and reform. 

Just north and south of town, breaks such as Praia Azul, Foz De Lizandro and Praia Sao Juliao are beach breaks if the slabs of Ericiera become too intimidating. The breaks shift much more than the reefs but there are fun times to be had out here.

If everything is too big in and around Ericiera, then the northerly facing Baleal beach in Peniche, or heading south to Estoril, Cascais or Caparica is well worth checking out. The superb and free Meo Beachcam App is an essential beachcams, with webcams all over Portugal.

Off the water, Ericiera is blessed with culture, food and activities. It is a famous seafood destination, with freshly caught Lobster and more at Cesar on the clifftop. In town, the Pregos at Lebre are a cheap, easy option or the Brazilian options at Prim are personal favourites. Vegetarians and Vegans will also be spoilt with lots of places including excellent Poke bowls.

The whitewashed old town makes for excellent sightseeing with plenty of shops and cafes. An incredible free skatepark, ‘Hollyskate’ is situated opposite Matadouros, by the Quiksilver Boardriders shop. Boardriders, along with the nearby Surf 58, are huge, surf emporiums with cafes, bars, surf shapers, gyms, yoga studios and surf and skate lessons. They also run DJ and Band nights on the Weekend, great to watch the sunset with a beer while enjoying the skating and music action.

Oh yeah, I haven't even mentioned the delights of Portugal’s capital city, Lisbon, just down the road if the surf, skate and chilled vibes get too much for you!.