With its rugged coast and rocky sea bed, Ericeira is not the easiest place to figure out where to surf. Previously I wrote about where to learn to surf in Ericeira and which spots are the best for beginners. After a lot of work, it is now time to share some of the best intermediate…
Category: portugal
Beach Break Surfing
Beach breaks and reef breaks and what I have learned from surfing the sandy bottoms after months of hiatus. When I started surfing, the thought of surfing reef breaks terrified me. The first time I went to a reef break it was exactly like when I go skating – all I could see was the…
The Azores – São Miguel
Despite spending the longest amount of time on São Miguel, it is ironically the island I saw the least of. The largest of the Azorean islands, with the largest population, it is also the most popular island for tourists to visit. If I am completely honest, I do not think I gave São Miguel enough…
The Azores – São Jorge
The plane sways and lurches ominously as we prepare the decent. There is only sea visible through my window and my palms have started to sweat. I consciously try to relax my body, thinking of what the waves have taught me about futility of fighting the uncontrollable. My breathing is deliberately slow and deep, my…
The Azores – Terceira
The Azores has been on my list of places to see for a long time. I no longer remember how I first heard of them, but my imagination was immediately captivated. When my partner’s work sent him to São Miguel for a week, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to do some exploration…
Ericeira Secret Spots
I am not a fan of this notion of ‘secret spots’. To me, all a secret spot means is that it is harder for a casual visitor to find. If you tell a local that you went to a ‘secret spot’, they are likely to laugh at the concept (and probably, in your face). There…
Surf lessons when you can already surf
A friend of mine recently asked me why I take surf classes when I can already surf (his words, not mine). This is a question that I get so often, I thought I would write about it and unpick some of the reasons… Standing up isn’t surfing I have taken many many surf classes over…
Catching my First Green Wave
Before Christmas I finally surfed my first Green Wave. It was one of the scariest and most amazing things I have ever done. I hope I never stop being amazed by how it feels to go down the face of a wave “I think the ocean is winning.” I say to no one in particular,…
Melusina Surfs 