Point break · Ericeira, Silver Coast · 39°00′N 9°25′W
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.
Coxos is the wave the Ericeira World Surfing Reserve was really created to protect. It is a right-hand point that breaks over a rock reef just north of the village, and when a clean north-west swell meets a light offshore it is as good as European surf gets.
The wave
It starts with a steep, often barrelling take-off by the rocks, then throws a long, thick wall down the reef that can run for a hundred metres or more on the right size. It handles swell: while the beach breaks are closing out, Coxos is holding shape.
Who it is for
Confident, experienced reef surfers. The take-off zone is tight, the reef is shallow and covered in urchins, and there is a keyhole and a current that demand you know the layout before you paddle out. The crowd is skilled and local, and respect for the pecking order is expected.
Getting in
Most people jump off the rocks near the point on the pulse between sets and use the rip to get back out. Watch someone who knows it do it first.
When
Autumn through spring, on a NW to W groundswell with an E or SE wind and a tide from low to mid.
Schools & rentals near here
Activity Surf Center
An Ericeira surf school running since 2012, with lessons for every level across the town's beaches, plus board and wetsuit rental and a shop in the centre.
SurfEriceira Surfboard Rental
Board and wetsuit rental for the Ericeira area - soft-tops and hard-tops from 12 EUR a day, with delivery, roof racks and free board swaps.
SurfFrom EUR 12 / day
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.
Surf
Mica Surfboards
Mica Lourenço hand-shapes made-to-measure boards out of Carvoeira, minutes from the Ericeira reefs: grovellers, step-ups, eggs, classics and a full high-performance line.
Surf
Rapture Surfcamps Ericeira
A surf camp in a Portuguese villa a few metres from Foz do Lizandro, a mellow beach break that suits lessons, with easy reach of the reserve's other spots.
Surf
Semente Surfboards
Portugal's most established performance surfboard label, shaping in Ericeira since the 1980s. Founded by American shaper Nick Uricchio in the town at the centre of what is now the World Surfing Reserve.
Surf
Wavegliders
An Ericeira surf shop and shaping room in one - hand-shaped boards by Nico alongside a classic-leaning shop, in the town at the centre of the World Surfing Reserve.
Surf
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.
SurfFrom EUR 40 / lessonNearby
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 swellsRibeira 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 springCommon questions
- What kind of wave is Coxos?
- Coxos is a point break. It wants NW to W groundswell, holds size swell and works best with offshore from the e / se wind.
- Is Coxos good for beginners?
- No — it's rated advanced surfers and is for experienced surfers only.
- When's the best time for Coxos?
- October to April.
- What should I watch out for at Coxos?
- Shallow rock and urchins, a strong keyhole current, a heavy localised crowd. Not a wave to learn a reef on.