surfXchange

wave wacth portugal

2008-10-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

Wave watch finally arrived to portugal. We already had te portuguese version of it, it is the beach cam, and it's great, ( its available in www.beachcam.pt).

for the last few months i've been surfing a lot...at least for me is a lot. I usually surfed one maybe 2 day every week, and now its something like 10 hours every weekend, and at least one more session during the week.

And my evolution has been great..i'm now having true fun inside the water..and i started to feel that now i'm really enjoying the ocean at 1% off i can take from it.

this weekend i went to ericeira..and for everybody that already know what they are doing inside the water is amazing.

For everybody else... my suggestion is costa da caparica..and if you want i can evem give you contacts for a great surf school.

for now here you have the wave watch preview

Go to wavewatch.com for your local surf forecasts

Go to wavewatch.com for your local surf forecasts

Surf evolution in lisbon

2008-06-24T06:42:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to have some evolution in my surf performance for the last 2 years...But i wasn't very successful, because i had a lot of bad habits that came from other sports, and because i had a natural lack of talent!

So it all started something like 2 months ago. when a friend of mine decided to start surfing, and he never even tried. And what happened was that in the second day he was standing up!! and it was something that took me almost 1 month to get!!

And his evolution was very quick.No only because he was using the right board for him, but also because he had someone to teach him.

and so i decided to get some classes for me in his school.

The first thing was to use a board that was the right one for my skill level, and second was to have someone saying that i shouldn't do this or to try and stand lo...and a lot of other things that i wasn't doing the way i should.

And so..in the last month my evolution was bigger then in tha last year.

If any one need some help for the same reasons did please send me an e-mail andi'll give you a bunch of surf schools contacts!!!

cheers mate!

Places to stay

2008-03-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

One of the main issues, about a trio is always this "WHERE I'M I GOING TO SLEEP"

but are a lot of places in the lisbon area...it all depends on how much you want to pay...

my first choice is Muchaxo the link is http://www.portugalvirtual.pt/_lodging/costadelisboa/estoril/muchaxo/index.html

rates starting in 58 euros in booking.com

is the sea side..in guincho..you can wake up with a great beach view..and decide if you are going to surf or if you are going back to bed... it is something like 50 meters from the water...in the low tide... If you stay there...you can also go to one of my favorite restaurants... amazing pizza and another italian foods in Tiffosi...just five minutes away by car...

here you have a list of another places where you can stay:

Vila Bicuda Villas Resort
Score from 228 reviews
8.6
Vila Bicuda Villas Resort
Rua dos Faisões, Cascais (Show map)
Welcome to Vila Bicuda. The complex has a privileged location in Sintra/ Cascais Natural Park. It is perfectly designed for relaxing leisure or golf holidays.…
starting at 95 euros
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Hotel Baia
Av. Marginal, Cascais (Estoril / Lisboa) (Show map)
Less than 30 km from Lisbon on the Estoril Coast, Hotel Baía has a privileged sea-front location, facing the Cascais Bay and offering a fabulous view of the ocean

another hotel in the center of cascais..in the sea front..a better choice to people who want to go out in the evening

starting at 85 euros
----------------------------------------

Ana's Cottage Bed & Breakfast
Rua D Diogo de Meneses, 52, Cascais (Lisboa) (Show map)
Ana´s Cottage is a cosy and affordable bed & breakfast guest house in Cascais, a wonderful beach town near Lisbon.…

starting at 30 euros

next time the list will contain hotels in the center of lisbon

another way to come to lisbon is the couch surfing project...

cheers mates..

ps- for english surfers all hotels are like a 5 stars hotel in britain!!! ( no offense!!)

Ericeira

2008-03-07T09:29:00.000-08:00

Ericeira, is probably, one of the Portugal areas with more surf spots... there are a lot of spots, and every one of them is really different from the other, and the same surf spot can be be different in the low tide or the high tide...

in the weekend there are a lot of outsiders, and during the week there aren´t many locals...except in the summer...

ericeira, is for me the surf Mecca of europe.. ribeira de ilhas..thats where i'll start.

ribeira de ilhas is where all the big surf contests are... you have a really long wave...most of times, suitable for all kind of surfers..even for longboarders..

but there are also some days, when it gets really big...

Most off days there is a channel..in the beginning, when you leave the sand you'll get really close to the rocks..and if your surf level is something like a begginer.. you'll be really affraid.

tomorow i'll speak a little bit more about ribeira de ilhas

but for me..a image is more then a lot of words..see for yourself..try and googleit

in lisbon

2008-02-24T11:30:00.000-08:00

in lisbon there is a lot to see. if you rent a car you can go to most places i've been talking about in the last posts, it's really easy to get there, the folks are quite friendly, and in most cases we don't have any kind of problems with other guys surfing our waves.

you have a lot of surfshops, quite some places where you can repair you board, rent some material or in the worst case scenario, buy a new one because you brokken yours.

for me, one of the best places to go and get surf material is ENERGIA TROPICAL, in malveira da serra, it's really near by guincho, and probally you'll be hosted by the one and only Alvaromm, or as we call him, Alvinho.

Alvinho is barzilian shaper that came to portugal a long time ago... he started with a small shop and now he has a surf shop, a factory, and always ..but always, a nice discount for you...

that is where i get all of mine material...because going to energia tropical is alwas a nice chance to talk with a great guy..

i've kind of sick since new years eave, and when i got ok i went away in work..

know i'm back to my beautiful city..and going back to my always great surf sessions in a near by surfspot.

I've reciving some e-mais about this site.

just wanna thanks every one

Praia pequena (small beach)

2008-01-03T05:04:00.000-08:00

Praia pequena is the beach just next to praia grande, and during low tide you can go from one to another.
It's a really small beach that almost disapear during the high tide, it doesn't have a restarante or a cafe, but that is great, because it means that you'll have a few less guys surfing.

A lot of bodyboards go there, but i also o there for surfing...it's really good beach, no parking problems during the winter..but during the summer it's as near to hell as you can get.

there isn't that much to say..just be careful with the locals, dont leave anything in sight because, you can see your car but, it's a good 10 minutos walk to go back up again. there are also so precutions to have with the rocks, specialy in the high tide.

next time i'll talk about buying things and making repairs in your boards, in the lisbon area.

Praia grande or in english: BIG BEACH

2007-12-27T02:22:00.000-08:00

Praia grande is the next beach you'll find afte guincho. It is really a short way form one to another, but only if you have a car, otherwise, is almost a full day trip.

The road that goes from guingo to praia grande is really beutifull and it goes just in the middle of the mountain.

Praia grande is near the historic village of Sintra, that is one of the most beautiful places in portugal, and the best of all is that is just 15 minutes drive to praia grande, and can also do a great trip by train ( is an electric train that is really look alike with the ones you can find in the lisbon city center)

But back to the main subject, Praia grande e is a good place to surf, and the conditions change a lot during the year, so the best you can do is to go to www.beachcam.pt and check it out, the only thing is that page is written in portguese, so if you need any help to read it, fell free to send me an e-mail ( surfxchange@netcabo.pt )

There are all kind of waves in this beach, made for almost any kind of surfers, but there are days..in with only the best ones go in..it can gets really big and really scary.. but that is only sometimes.

The only problem in praia grande is that it is a sand beach, and so it can be really good one day, and them in the next day it can be the worst wave in portugal...

In the summer there is a lot of crowd because of the summer surfers... but they disappear in the beginning of September and them came back in the next summer.

this beach is very famous world wide because of the bodyboard world championship that is every year in the end of august

this is a little video form you tube form the 2006 edition, and the waves were really small

this video is from the 2007 edition

NEXT STOP: GUINCHO

2007-12-19T02:15:00.000-08:00

Guincho is one of the best spots in the Lisbon city area.. it's something like a 15 minutes ( with no traffic) from the city center (30 km), and it is a quite big beach.

It has a lot of spots, with some kind of different waves, the first one is the muxaxo ( named like that because of the hotel that is IN THE BEACH ( and it is also very cheap +/- 50€ per night). Muxaxo is also great for having a tea or a hot chocolate in the winter, after a good and perfect surf session, because it's windows are just above the beach and you can see everything.

The only problem in guincho is that is also very good for kite surf and for windsurf..so it can get quite windy sometimes, mostly during the summer, but that isn't alway bad...this year, the predominant wind during the morning is offshore, so it can be quite good

Surfing near Lisbon, is a matter of choices, because you have so many surf spot's and so many kind of waves, but for a big part of the Lisbon surfers guincho is one of the favorites.

It can stands up to 3mt waves with some great conditions, the view is amazing, because right next to you you'll see the historic village of Sintra, that also is great for spending an afternoon.

in the middle of the beach you'll find some rocks, and, if you don't see them..be careful because it means that you are on the high tide, and so you can get hurt.

Sometimes guincho can be a little bit dangerous because it can pull you to the outside in just a few seconds ( so it can be a good thing of ou know what you are doing).

You also have the other side of the beach, that is my favorite, and you can go there by car, or just having a little walk in the sand.. it's great for warming up before going into the water.

In matters of water temperature, from guincho until the north of portugal, the water is really cold, and it doesn't matter if you are in the summer or in the winter..i always use a full suite, or at least a spring suit in the hottest days of the summer.

Bar do guincho ( the one that is in the opposite side of the beach of muxaxo) is also great for having lunch.

In the weekends, it can be a little crowdy but during the week, there is almost alway people surfing, but nothing that is going to make you loose your temper.

in here you have a beachcam ( or a webcam on the beach)

this and other web cams are avaiable on BEACHCAM.pt
Next stop.. PRAIA GRANDE

AFTER CARCAVELOS

2007-12-14T02:05:00.000-08:00

After carcavelos, you have a lot of different places to go surfing...first you have "Avencas", that is really good when the swell is perfect, and it's a lit bit big..and the best of it, is that it never gets to crowded.

After avencas you'll find a great beach.. one of my favorites...S. Pedro

During the summer the waves are rare...like a virgin on prom's night! but in he winter the..that's when the fum begins. In th left you have a point called the BAfureira..reef break, and great fun! and on the right there is the S.Pedro's spot, and it is really perfect for long board, and you can still surf it with really big swells.

The only thing you have to be careful is the rocks...and NEVER, BUT NEVER go there in the low tide..there are a lot of rocks, and if you don't know then probably you'll get hurt.

After s.pedro you'll find Prai da Poça, also a great surf spot butt be sure you respect the locals.

In the begining of this december month we had a giant swell. A lot of famous surfers came to portugal to do some tow in, but in that day..some crazy dude's were surfing in Poça!

Here is the video, it's isnt that good but'll get the idea of it

Surfing near Lisbon part 2

2007-12-10T01:58:00.000-08:00

The video above is a compilation of sets taken on the lisbon city area..Spots like Sto. Amaro or Carcavelos

lisbon has a lot of spots to offer...most of them are a little bit crowded in the weekends..but during the week..almost no one around, just pure pleasure. After "costa da caparica" (where i was surfing this weekend, and it was 2mt+) you have all the city coast, that is just full of spots for almost any kind off surf.

When its big you can go to "santo amaro" that can deal with really big swells ( 2 weeks ago every where else was something like 3 or 4 meters and in this spot was 1.5/2 meters of perfect surfing)

this is quotation i've got from Beachwizard

" This place needs a BIG swell. When the Linha (the beaches between Cascais and Carcavelos) are too big to surf (3m+), this is pretty much the only place that will hold the swell. If you are confident, you can jump into the peak from the rocks in front of the castle, but make sure you time it right or you'll be washed back up onto them. It's a heavy, fast and often hollow wave which will be populated by the best surfers in Portugal, so make sure you let them have their waves. Also watch out for the recently-constructed groyne, which can actually interfere with the later sections of the smaller waves. Bascially, GO BIG and don't stop. This can be one of the best waves in Portugal when it is on. Directions: When driving from Cascais direction, after Carcavelos take the turning off the Marginal (coastal road between Cascais and Lisbon) for Oeiras. As you come around the bend on the exit road, there is a car park on the left. Park there and follow the pedestrian path to the left in front of the castle. In Summer, you will see a lagoon, so best to come between September-March when the Winter swell rolls in.."

Then you have carcavelos...home of a lot of great surfers and body boarders. In the perfect days you have huge tuberiding and perfect waves...once again this spot is really crowded in the weekends and with small waves, but during the week on winter is perfect.

Carcavelos as i said earlier is the home of great surfers..and in just one beach you'll find some different kind of waves. The first one is near the "forte de s.Juliao", where you'll find some great tubes, great waves, but it is also a place for those who have more skills, and here, in the good days, you can fine some of the best tube ridings that you'll ever find. In the middle of the beach you'll find a different kind of waves, depending on the swell origin, and it's size...but one thing is for sure..if the waves aren't that good, you can always go to the "bar dos gemeos" that is really near the first spot i talked about in carcavelos ( forte de s.juliao) and chill out a little bit..it's really good and calm...a great space..with great food and natural juices.

Off course that there are other good places to chill out in carcavelos, but in my personal perspective, this is the best one...

probably you will find references to this spots in wannasurf.com, and with pictures to go along

there are a lot of other places, and i will talk about today in the afternoon or maybe tomorow

cheers mate

p.s. - i' still waiting for the first outside post or comment..

Surfing near Lisbon

2007-12-07T02:01:00.000-08:00

I live in lisbon...is a great city...with a lot of thing to do...but for me... in these thays, the most important thing i have in my city, is the opotunity to have a lot os surf spots to choose from.

In the next days i'll wright a little bit about some surf spots around lisbon, and that i know really well.

In the south of lisbon we have a place called "costa da caparica" ( here you have the wanna surf link -

You have a lot of spots to choose from...and at least, one of them will fit your level of surf.

During the winter is a lovely vilage, with a couple of good surf stores that do repairs and have all the material you may need, with great food, a lot and cheap places to stay (if you need the name of a hotel or something, feel free to send me an e-mail).

Is a place that is good for any kind of surfer..since the beginer to the big expert. in the last weekend, i went there on saturday, and it was something like 1.5 mt...just perfect. it was a great session.. The best time to go there is in the winter..because in the summer it's just full of people and surfers... and you almost for sure will have a bad wind...

If you want to check it out in real time you can go to www.beachcam.pt

wave quality Standard (means good)
experience all surfers
surf frequency regular
Wave type beach-break
direction right and left
bottom sandy
power fast, powerful, fun
normal length short (<50m)
good day short (<50m)

Tide, Swell and Wind

swell direction - NorthWest, West, SouthWest, South

wind direction SouthEast, East, NorthEast

swell size starts working at less than 1m / 3ft and holds up to 2.5m+ / 8ft+

tide position all tides

tide movement rising and falling tides

Costa da Caparica Access
Take the South highway (A2) and enter the IC20, it takes you straight to Costa da Caparica. Costa da Caparica has about 30 km of beaches, so you can choose any beach.

distance in the city
walk instant access (<5 mn)
easy to find? easy to find
public access? public access
special access Don't know
More Details on Surfing
week crowd ok
week-end crowd crowded
dangers - rocks
- localism

WELCOME TO SURF XCHANGE

2007-12-05T07:32:00.001-08:00

Welcome to THE SURF X CHANGE
I made this site, because so many times, i wanted to go surfing somewhere else in the world... but, the trip was already too expensive, and going on a trip with my surfboards was even more expensive.

So, I made this to help other people that, like me, don't have all that money, but they want to go and travel a little bit

So this site has to be made by all of us. If each one of us let some one else stay over for a few days...then we can all go and go surf somewhere else.
So for this..the only thing that you have to do is to post your offer or what you want, is to send an e-mail to surfxchange@netcabo.pt and tell me what you are looking for and what you are offerring (d'ont forget to say where you are from and leave your e-mail address)
So i hope that this works

Thank's to you all!