Surf school · Ericeira
Ericeira Waves
A surf school in Santo Isidoro, Ericeira, since 2014, teaching on several beach breaks around the World Surfing Reserve with Portuguese Surf Federation instructors and groups of up to five.
Ericeira Waves has been teaching since 2014 from Santo Isidoro, just north of Ericeira, the only World Surfing Reserve in Portugal and about 50 minutes' drive from Lisbon. Lessons use several beach breaks at different levels around the reserve, including Ribeira d'Ilhas.
Lessons and levels
Every session lasts two hours and includes board, wetsuit, leash and a shower. Group lessons are for beginners and intermediates, with a maximum of five students per instructor. There are one-to-one private lessons for any level, kids' lessons for ages 8 to 15 in small groups (parents can join the adult class), and coaching from beginner to advanced with video review.
Instructors
Instructors are certified by the Federação Portuguesa de Surf and follow its progressive teaching method, hold a water safety qualification, and have surfed in Ericeira for at least five years. The school is registered with Turismo de Portugal.
Rental
Boards, wetsuits and accessories by the half or full day. Summer lessons fill up fast, so book ahead.
Spots nearby
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 March
Coxos
The best wave in the Ericeira reserve and one of the finest right-hand points in Europe: long, thick, fast walls that barrel on the take-off and race down the reef. Advanced surfers only.
Advanced surfersOctober to April
Foz do Lizandro
The beach break at the mouth of the Lizandro river, just south of Ericeira. A wide, forgiving sandy beach that is the town's main learner wave and home to most of its surf schools.
BeginnersYear-round; summer is smallest and best for learning