If you want to hear of cute/fun/ normal people stuff to do in Ericeira, peep the previous post! But if you wanna hear the lowdown on the surf, stay tuned right here!
Ericeira is awesome because you have a mix of point breaks, beach breaks, reef breaks, and very consistent swell starting in September. In fact, maybe toooo good at points. I’m not sure how friendly the middle of winter really is to the average surfer, given that Nazare is just 20 miles up the road!
I recommend you visit Ericeira in shoulder season (mid September to October), exactly when I visited it because the water is still comfortable (think 3/2 or 4/3 mm wetsuit), the waves vary from 2 feet to double overhead depending on the swell, and the weather is still nice! I didn’t stick around long enough to find out, but I imagine Portugal gets quite chilly in winter, and these waves are absolutely no joke. They will work you. I arrived in good shape with strong paddle arms and still found my sessions ending so quickly from exhaustion. A lot of white water is always coming your way!
*I didn’t surf most of the actual world-renowned spots that make up the World Surf Reserve part of Ericeira, north of the town (Coxos, Crazy Left, among others). These are much better accessed with a car, and I think I’ll leave it to the more advanced surfers. *
Ribeira d’ilhas
Reef/beach/point break (mostly rights)
Best on mid-tide
Crowded
All kinds of boards and levels
Scary current when windy
Summary: Ribeira is where it’s at! To begin with, it’s one of the most equipped beaches, with nice showers and a beach house and restaurant, surf rentals. Once you get on a wave here (either far out at the point, in the inner right or inner left) you will be stoked. You see a lot of local young talent, some agro surfers, SUPers, beginners, and everyone in between. I try to surf here once a day because the wave quality is definitely the best in town. I mean c'mon, there's a WSL event happening there right now!
Mataduoro
Best on mid to high tide
Beach/reef break
Heavy
Lots of padding
Outside better for short boarding, lots of lessons in inside
Summary: This spot is pretty gnarly so I'm surprised so many lessons go down here, but it's right across from the Boardriders shop was has expensive rentals but good vibes. At high tide I've had some trouble timing to get out, and getting to the line up is pretty tiring whenever waves are over 3 ft. Unfortunately the place where the spot breaks best is right over reef, and can be super sketchy if you get stuck inside on a set. I typically can't last more than an hour here on a good day because so paddle intensive!
This was one of the prettiest sunsets in my whole time in Portugal!
Praia do Sul
"Ericeira" cam on Magic Seaweed
Reef/point break (right)
Only breaks on low tide
Crowded
All kinds of boards and levels
Summary: This is the best beginner spot in town, aka where I go when everything else is too big or blow out! It has a bit of wind protection which is nice because the other beaches form a crazy current when there's a cross shore breeze. It really only breaks at low tide and the few hours around it, but be prepared for a nasty paddle in and out over the shallow rocks. Unfortunately, the crowd here is less experienced and they even get out there by 7 AM, which to me really makes the water a lot noisier than I prefer in the early morning. Then again, had an awesome day here shortboarding with just three other WOMEN in the water! Woohoo
Praia do Norte
Best on mid to high tide
Beach/reef break
No crowds
Summary: This was technically the closest spot to my hostel so I wanted to try it out, but it's not on the map like the other breaks in town. On big days, I saw some good shortboarders way way outside at a right hand point break. It's mostly if you want to avoid the crowds and surf at a really pretty spot. Wouldn't go alone if it's big or if I didn't know what I was doing!
São Sebastião
Best on mid to high tide
Beach/reef break
No crowds
Summary: I guess this beach/cove kind of blends into Mataduoro on the northern end, but on the southern end there are a few peaks that are frequented by locals, especially when other spots are busy. One of the locals was a homie and called me over here so I wasn't surfing alone, and I thought it was much more beautiful and rustic. But like with any spot, if you are inexperienced and alone, best to avoid it so you don't hit a rock or something...
Foz do Lizandro
Best on low tide
Beach break
Shorebreak! Eek!
Best for shortboard
Summary: South of downtown Ericeira, you can find Foz which is a super expansive, stunning beach with some heavy waves. This spot is pretty shore breaky, and the water is a pretty blue giving me ~Oahu vibes~. Imma be honest and admit that I went here and didn't really take any drops because it was just straight down into shallow water. However, one plus side is it is mostly sandy, not reefy/rocky here!
Surf is UP baby. Let's go!
