HISTORY
Paulo Inocentes was the first surfer to ride a wave in Portugal. In 1958, while near Biarritz, he saw a National Geographic surf documentary; he promptly bought a board there and brought it home to Carcavelos. He surfed through that whole year (obviously sans wetsuit, though the water temps hovered around 55 degrees) on his own, but he had a really difficult time standing up and riding waves on his new longboard. The following year, he went back to Biarritz and noticed guys rubbing some kind of stuff onto the deck of their boards. He asked them what it was, and they told him about wax -- Portuguese surfing has been growing ever since, now boasting over 20,000 local surfers and bodyboarders, dozens of surf shops, a solid surf magazine (Surf Portugal) and numerous pro and am contests every year.

FURTHER READING
The Stormrider Guide Europe ('00)
The Lonely Planet Guide to Portugal
The Surf Report, Volume 16, numbers 3 and 5
www.surftrip.net
www.surfmaps.com

CROWDS
Some folks can mistake Portuguese passion for arrogance -- nothing can be further from the truth. While there are heavily localized areas where you'll get vibed by bodyboarders and surfers alike, most of the surf spots are fairly mellow -- as long as you show respect. Don't be so cocky to think you're the first one to surf anywhere in the country -- while the locals haven't been surfing for decades, they have figured out their coast. You're dealing with a country of navigators, remember?

Apart from possibly getting some form of hepatitis from surfing at the bottom of the poo chain in Carcavelos, having a head-on collision in Europe's official car accident capital, getting barked at (and dropped in on) by irate bodyboarders, getting your car ripped off by junkies or slicing the bejesus out of your feet and hands coming on the urchin-infested rocks at high-tide Coxos, your trip to Portugal is bound to be hassle-free. Right.

It's not that bad really -- all of the above dangers are real, but can be avoided with some common sense, a good pair of booties, a little luck and some humility. Learning Portuguese will help too.

POLLUTION
In a word: yes. Carcavelos is infamous for the sheer blackness of its tubes after a big winter storm, and many locals have gotten all manner of sickness and infection from enjoying its urban peaks. Fortunately, the main outfall pipe was extended out to sea a ways about four years ago, and the water quality is improving, though it's still not wise to go in after a rain.

As you leave the Lisbon area, water quality improves immensely. Around Ericiera, you'll find some of the cleanest water in Europe, especially in fall before the rains start. Most spots with any kind of creek or rivermouth outfall -- like Foz de Lizandro and San Lourenco -- will get some agricultural runoff after a rain, but nothing like most spots in Orange County.

Surfrider Europe has yet to start a Portuguese chapter, but it's in the works.

SUMMER
The northern Atlantic isn't the most consistent place for surf in July and August, and even though Portugal sits way out in the middle of it, most waves are of the short-period windswell variety. Many of the best reefs lie dormant in summer, so your best bet is to head to any given beachbreak and hope the sandbars are good. Summertime also sees afternoon sea breezes, not unlike Southern California, so it pays to get up early.

FALL
Fall is generally considered to be the best time for surf in Portugal. The water's still relatively warm (a 3/2mm wetsuit with booties is more than enough), and the North Atlantic low-pressure cells send lines of groomed groundswell to the reefs and points. And while a few days of rain are not unheard of, generally the weather is pretty stable. There are even occasions where it'll blow offshore all day.

WINTER
Winter is a wild and woolly time -- there are weeks where it won't drop below 15 feet on the exposed coast, with howling onshores and rain adding insult to injury. But if you like big, heavy, cold, uncrowded waves, Portugal in winter could be right up your alley. There are days where all the elements come together and dish out a surf experience that's closer to Northern California than Europe. Count on wearing a 4/3mm, with booties and a hood, and bring big boards.

SPRING
Like most places in the world, springtime in Portugal is a time of flux. The water starts warming up, the big-ass Atlantic lows slow down and the wind can blow from all four points in the course of a day. Fortunately, if you keep an eye out on all that weather, the surf can come together. It's actually not a bad time of year to check out, as most travelers are long gone and the pros don't arrive till autumn, leaving you fairly unmolested with little bits of paradise among the onshores and spotty swells.