Ericeira surf spots are renowned for their level of consistency across all level of surfers, their water quality and the uniquely beautiful surrounding, so much so that the area was officially recognised back in October 2011, when it was named as a World Surf Reserve. Ericeira, pronounced Eery-Say-Reh, is the surf capital of Portugal, often described as a Surfing Mecca due to its abundance of waves. 

To give you a taste of what’s waiting for you, we have listed 9 of the best Ericeira surf spots and categorised them into beginner, intermediate and advanced level.  

 

Map of Ericeira Surf Spots:

Ericeira Surf Spots - Quick Facts...

• Best time for Beginners Surf in Ericeira: May - Sept
• Best time for Intermediates Surf in Ericeira: June - Oct
• Best time for Advanced Surf in Ericeira: Sept - January
• Types of breaks: Ericeira is world famous for it’s diversity of waves, it has everything from beach breaks, reefs, slabs, wedges and point breaks.

 

Beginner Surf Spots Ericeira 

1. Foz do Lizandro

Foz do Lizandro is great for beginner surfers as it’s got a variety of peaks and breaks over a sand bottom which is best surfed on an incoming mid-tide.

The surrounding beach area was developed in late 2008 and offers all the amenities that you need for a day at the beach, and has a variety of cafés that serves delicious food and drinks that offer the perfect spot to refuel in between sessions.

Wave type: Beach break with multiple peaks that offer both left and rights
Bottom: Sand
Tide: Low-Mid
Swell: West/South-West
Wind: East/North-East
Length of wave: 30 to 50m
Wave height: 0.5 to 2.5m

Most popular choice for surfing close to Foz do Lizandro:

2. Sao Juliao

Sao Juliao is a big sandy beach found at the southern end of Ericeira and picks up the most swell in Ericeira, making it the most consistent wave in the area where you can often find a great wave when everywhere else is flat. The big stretch of beach offers a multitude of peaks that provide great beginner walls at all stages of the tide, where you can often find a peak to yourself.

A local café sits overlooking the break offering delicious sandwiches, Portuguese custard tarts and lip-smacking coffee. 

Wave Type: Left and right beach break peaks
Bottom: Sand
Tide: Low-Mid
Swell: Works from all swell directions, but is best on a West swell
Wind: West, North-East and South-East
Length of wave: 25 - 70m
Wave height: 0.5 - 2.5m

Most popular choice for surfing close to Sao Juliao: 

3. Praia do Sul

Praia do Sul in the south of Ericeira is one of the most beautiful in the area and is a brilliant option to head to when a big swell is pouring in. The break offers both left and right walls that wall up slowly before gaining speed on the inside making it one of the best Ericeira surf spots for beginner surfers with a few sessions under their belt.

Great amenities such as food kiosks, cafés, restaurants and toilets make this beach a great location to spend the day or even the whole week!

Wave type: Left and right beach break waves
Bottom: Sand and flat bottom reef
Tide: Mid to High
Swell: West to North-West
Wind: East
Length of wave: 20 - 90m
Wave height: 0.5 - 3m

Most popular choice for surfing close to Praia do Sul:  

 

Intermediate Surf Spots Ericeira

4. Matadouro

Matadouro is located just north of Ericeira and offers left hand rides to the south of the beach and a super fun right hander towards the north end with multiple peaks in between.What we love about this break is that there’s also a skate park overlooking the break, giving you the chance to shred the concrete in between sessions in the salt as well.

The Beach has a little mobile coffee shop in the carpark and overlooking it is the one of the best accommodation options in Ericeira, Villa Ana Margarida Beach.

Wave type: Left and right beach and reef peaks
Bottom: Sand and Reef
Tide: All stages
Swell: West to North-West
Wind: Easy
Length of wave: 30 - 70m
Wave height: 0.5 - 2.5m

Most popular choice for surfing close to Matadouro beach:

5. Ribeira D’Ilhas

Easily Ericeira’s most accessible reef and fortunately the most forgiving too, Ribeira D’Ilhas dishes out super long right hand point break walls that not only offer up barrels, but big shoulders to practice your turns.
It’s home to many professional contests due to the quality of the wave, it’s consistency and the top quality amenities situated nearby.

The beach has a number of surf schools including Blue Ocean , and a great surf restaurant where you can watch the sunset and wind down after a days surf. 

Ribeira D'Ilhas beach set up

Wave type: Right hand point break
Bottom: Rocks and flat bottom reef
Tide: All
Swell: Picks up most swell directions but a solid West or North West is best
Wind: South-East and North-East
Length of wave: 150 -300m+
Wave height: 0.5 - 4m

Most popular choice for surfing close to Ribeira D’Ilhas:

6. Sao Lourenco

Sao Lourenco is a beautiful sandy beach that's home to multiple peaks offering heavy left and right walls. Towards the northern end of the beach you'll find a right hand reef that when a large swell is running can produce one of Portugal's heaviest and best waves.

The beach has a café and is also home to the famous Pizza Mobile restaurant

Wave type: Right & left hand reef
Bottom: Sand, rock and flat bottom reef
Tide: Best surfed on a mid tide but works at all stages
Swell: North and North-West
Wind: South-East and North-East
Length of wave: 50 - 150m
Wave height: 0.5 - 4.5m

 

Most popular choice for surfing close to Sao Lourenco:  

 

Advanced Surf Spots Ericeira

7. Coxos

Considered not only as one of the best waves in Portugal, but one of the best right handers in the world, Coxos is famous for it’s big barrels and leg-aching rides that will leave you mesmerised! It’s wave that every experienced surfer should have on their bucket list! 

Wave type: Right hand point break
Bottom: Reef
Tide: Low to mid tide
Swell: Picks up most swell directions but best surfed on West and North-West
Wind: East, North-East and South-East
Length of wave: 150 - 300m+
Wave height: 0.5 - 4m

Most popular choice for surfing close to Coxos:  

8. Cave

Kelly Slater surfing Cave

Cave is often compared to Australia’s Shark Island, and once you set eyes on this marvel of the ocean you’ll see exactly why! A right hand reef break that comes out of deep water before hitting an extremely shallow reef ledge, creating double up waves that are as thick as they are hollow, before going going dry on the end section.

It dishes out some of the biggest spitting barrels in Portugal as well as some of the worst wipe-outs. Best surfed by only the most experienced of surfers

Wave type: Right hand reef break
Bottom: Reef
Tide: Mid to High
Swell: West, North-West and North
Wind: South-East and North-East
Length of wave: 25 - 70m
Wave height: 1 - 3m

Most popular choice for surfing close to Cave: 

9. Pedra Branca ( Praia da Empa)

Pedra Branca is a very powerful left hand reef break that offers one of the hollowest tubes in Ericeira. In theory all you have to do is get to your feet and pull in and cut out for one the rides of your life, but that’s in theory, it can also deliver the wipe-out of your life if you don’t get enough speed. Pedra Branca is simply just pure tube-riding and speed... They say the best things are normally the simplest, so why not find out for yourself on your Ericeira surf trip with a session at Pedra Branca?

Wave type: Left hand reef break
Bottom: Reef
Tide: Mid to High
Swell: West and South-West
Wind: South-East and North-East
Length of wave: 50 - 100m
Wave height:  0.5 - 2.5m

Most popular choice for surfing close to Pedra Branca:   

 

• Weather: Ericeira has a nice climate all year round due to it’s position between the balmy Algarve and the wetter northern areas near Porto.The winter months between November and March can be 16°C and sunny during the day but gets cold at night, dropping down to lows of 6°C.  April, May and June can reach up to 24°C degrees during the day before dropping to lows of 10°C at night. July, August, September and October can reach highs of 31°C before dropping to lows of 15°C once the sun sets. The area can get misty and foggy, especially in the mornings as the cold Atlantic breeze clashes with the warm heat generated inland.

 

• Water Temp: The water temperature in Ericeira doesn’t fluctuate too much, this is due to the northern winds, known as ‘The Nortada’ teaming up with the cold Canarian Current to prevent the water from ever matching the summer air temperatures. A light 2/2 or 3/2 steamer will do during the summer months and in mid-winter a 4/3 and boots will do the job. June - October hits highs of 18°C and between November to May ranges from 16°C to 13°C. 

 

Ericeira is a fantastic place for a learn to surf holiday with a variety of fun beach-breaks that give you the perfect walls to learn the basics, and for the more intermediate and advanced there is a host of world class reef breaks offering up left and right-hand barrels and walling point-breaks that you can carve up to your hearts content.

Another attribute that makes Ericeira surf holidays so popular is it’s accessibility, situated only 40 minutes from Lisbon and 30 minutes from the airport, making this a great destination for a quick and easy surf holiday getaway.