Surf school · Ericeira
Blue Ocean Ericeira Surf School
A surf school based right on Ribeira d'Ilhas beach, inside the Ericeira World Surfing Reserve, running lessons and multi-day courses for every level with equipment included.
Blue Ocean is a surf school on Ribeira d'Ilhas, the wave at the heart of the Ericeira World Surfing Reserve. Being based on the beach itself means lessons start where the reserve's most forgiving wave breaks, and the coaches move groups to nearby beaches such as Praia do Sul or Foz do Lizandro when the reef is too big for the level.
What they run
Single lessons and multi-day courses for complete beginners through to intermediate surfers working on turns and wave selection. Boards, wetsuits and insurance are included, and groups are kept small. They also offer guided surf sessions for surfers who can already ride unbroken waves and want local knowledge of where to go on a given forecast.
Good to know
Ericeira's reefs are shallow and rocky, so a school that knows which beach suits which swell and tide is worth more here than in a straightforward beach-break town. Book ahead in summer and over the autumn swell season.
Spots nearby
Ribeira d'Ilhas
The long, forgiving right-hand reef at the centre of the Ericeira World Surfing Reserve. Peels down a cobblestone point and takes almost any level on the right day. Host of regular WSL junior and qualifying events.
All levelsYear-round, best autumn to spring
Cave
A short, violent right-hand barrel over a shallow rock shelf near Ribeira d'Ilhas. All the intensity of a slab in a small package. Experts only, and only at the right tide.
Experts onlyOctober to MarchSão Lourenço
The northernmost break of the Ericeira reserve: an exposed reef with multiple peaks that works most of the year for advanced surfers and turns into a genuine big-wave wave when a large north swell hits.
Advanced surfersAutumn to spring; a tow spot on the biggest swells