Before a first lesson, people most often ask us which beach is best for beginners. It mostly depends on the day. We explain why below, along with what is useful to know before you come: where Santa Cruz is, what surfing here is like in summer and in winter, and what a first lesson looks like.
Where is Santa Cruz?
Santa Cruz is a small village on the coast of Portugal’s Oeste region. It belongs to the town of Torres Vedras and is about an hour’s drive north of Lisbon. Cliffs, beaches below them and the Atlantic in front.
From Lisbon airport it takes under 50 minutes, from the city centre about an hour. That makes it easy to combine with a city trip: a few days of museums and pastéis de nata, then a few days in the water.
On the map, Santa Cruz sits roughly halfway between Ericeira and Peniche, two of the best-known surf areas in Europe. You will see in a moment why that is good news for you.
Which beach is best for beginners?
In your first lesson you will not paddle out to the lineup, where experienced surfers sit on their boards and wait for waves. You will learn in the whitewater, the white foam that rolls towards the beach after a wave breaks. There is whitewater wherever there are waves, so what matters more is where the conditions suit beginners at the time of your lesson.
That depends on the swell, the wind and the tide. They change every day, sometimes within a few hours, so a beach that suits beginners on Tuesday morning can be too much on Wednesday afternoon. That is why we check the conditions before every lesson and choose the beach on the day, not a week in advance.
Our beaches in Santa Cruz
We are from Santa Cruz and this is where we like to surf most. The waves here are often bigger than further south, so it helps that we know these beaches well.
Santa Cruz is a long row of beaches below the cliffs. Most of them are named after the café that stands on them: Praia do Navio, Praia do Mirante, Praia do Pisão, Praia da Física, the main Praia de Santa Cruz in the middle of the village, Praia de Santa Helena, Praia Formosa and Praia Azul. Each one behaves a little differently. A few hundred metres are enough for the waves to break differently and the current to pull somewhere else.
Praia da Física is the heart of surfing in Santa Cruz: a wide beach break (the wave breaks over a sandy bottom) that picks up the swell well, with plenty of room for learning in the foam.
Praia Azul is a beach break at the mouth of the small Sizandro river. It catches a lot of swell, can be properly powerful and on the right day has great waves.
Porto Novo is a little further north, and we go there when the conditions work better than in Santa Cruz.
When Santa Cruz is too big: Peniche and Ericeira
Some days the Atlantic brings more energy than a first lesson can handle. That is when it pays to be right in the middle between the two.
Peniche sits on a peninsula and its beaches face in different directions. Whatever the ocean is doing, one side is usually sheltered, so there is almost always somewhere to surf, whether you are a beginner or an experienced surfer.
Ericeira is, for many people, the surf capital of Europe. In 2011 it became Europe’s first World Surfing Reserve, a protected coastline with exceptional waves. The best-known spot is Ribeira d’Ilhas, where international contests are held and where we sometimes take our groups. There are plenty of other spots along that stretch.
We are happy to drive to the waves when the day calls for it. Our favourite place to teach, though, is home in Santa Cruz.
Summer or winter?
You can surf here all year. Portugal has no season when surfing stops, so you can come for a surf trip near Lisbon whenever it suits you.
In summer the ocean is usually calmer, the sun is strong and the days are long. It is the easiest time for a very first lesson. In July and August, though, the water gets quite busy.
In winter the swell is stronger and you feel the currents more. In return there are far fewer people in the water, and on a clear January morning you often have the foam almost to yourself.
The water temperature changes less through the year than most people expect. You notice the sun much more: in summer it really burns, in winter it is gentler.
What about wetsuits? For a lesson you do not need to think about it, we give you one that fits. People who surf regularly have a thinner suit for summer and a warmer one for winter, and in winter a hood helps too. Boots make sense at reef breaks, where the wave breaks over a rocky bottom, such as Ribeira d’Ilhas: the beach is sand, but there are rocks under the water. Around Santa Cruz the spots are mostly beach breaks with a sandy bottom, so you walk into the water on sand.
What your first surf lesson looks like
In the first lesson we wait for the most important moment: the pop-up. Some people stand up on their very first try, others fall off before they can enjoy it. Both are fine, that is what the first lesson is for.
Before we go into the water, we spend a little time on the sand. We go through a few rules and learn to read the ocean: where the waves break, where the current pulls and why we are at this particular spot today. Currents are part of surfing, and if you know where the water pulls, you stay calm when you feel it.
Safety is the main part of those rules. How to fall properly, because you will fall, a lot. How to protect yourself from your own board, which is bigger and harder than it looks. And how to keep a safe distance from other people.
Then we go into the water, but not far. In the first lesson we do not wear you out with long paddling past the waves. We stay where you can stand and use the foam to learn the most important thing: getting up on the board. You try the pop-up on the beach first, then again and again in the foam, until you can do it automatically, without thinking.
Just as important is getting used to the board and the water. The sooner both feel normal, the faster everything else comes.
The best way for a first lesson to end is when you stand up and ride a wave.
Lessons last 1.5 hours, and the board and wetsuit are included.
What to bring
Swimwear, sunscreen, water and a towel. We bring the rest.
Quick summary
- Santa Cruz is a village in the Oeste region, an hour’s drive from Lisbon and under 50 minutes from the airport.
- It sits roughly halfway between Ericeira and Peniche, so there is almost always somewhere with good conditions.
- Beginners learn in the whitewater, and we choose the beach based on the conditions at the time of the lesson.
- You can surf all year: in summer the ocean is calmer and the water busier, in winter the swell is stronger and there is more space.
- The first lesson is about the pop-up, safety and reading the ocean. We stay where you can stand.
- The board and wetsuit are included; bring swimwear, sunscreen, water and a towel.
Come and try it
Planning a trip to Lisbon and want to spend a few days in the water? Tell us your dates and whether you have surfed before. We will look at the forecast with you and suggest what makes sense. You can read more about the lessons on our Surf page, or simply write to us. We usually reply within 24 hours.
