About Ericeira Surf Travel
Coxos:
Coxos is the crown jewel of Portugal — Europe’s best right. It’s ironic, actually, because it was one of the last “discoveries” in the Ericiera area. A small group of surfers managed to keep it secret for years until, in the mid-’80s, guys like Nick Uricchio managed to follow ’em down the farmer’s track and were absolutely blown away with what they saw. It was only a matter of time till word got out, and though there are not really any contests at Coxos, it’s very rare to strike it good and uncrowded.
The wave — which is like a reef/pointbreak — breaks along a shallow rock shelf into a very small bay. Swells muscle their way in from deep water just offshore and form into these fast-moving symmetrical right walls that seem to concentrate all their power into the base of the wave rather than the lip, similar to many Hawaiian waves. There’s no easy entry at Coxos: you’ve got to paddle like mad, get to your feet and start driving, otherwise you’ll get sucked over and — you guessed it — end up on the reef. If you do it right, though, it’s the best barrel in Europe.
Put it this way: Aussie traveler Daf Williams — who’d just returned from four months in Indo and two months at J-Bay — got three tubes on one 8-foot wave at Coxos, smashed his 7’0″ into three pieces on the rocks, came in and said, “That’s the best tube I’ve ever got. I’m going home.”
Ribeira de Ilhas:
Often compared to Bells Beach, Riberia de Ilhas is one of Ericiera’s most consistent and varied high-performance waves. Situated inside a large bay between the Reef and Coxos, Riberia is made up of a series of flat rock shelves that jut out into the middle of the bay and pick up most any swell the Atlantic has to offer. The fact that it’s slightly protected by the cliffs on either side means it stays relatively glassy when other spots are blown out, though it receives slightly less swell than places like Coxos.
Riberia has been home to more contests than any other beach in Portugal, and for good reason. When it’s small, swells come in and peak up in different parts of the reef, allowing for a broad takeoff zone. As it gets bigger, the rights reel down in a manner that’s been called a cross between Bells and third point Malibu. Once it’s 6 foot, you could theoretically hit the lip more than a dozen times all the way to shore. It just keeps magically setting up in front of you and is especially fun going backside. Add the fairly dramatic, amphitheater-like surrounding beach, and you’ve got a contest promoter’s wet dream.
Reef:
The Portuguese are not known for the creative naming of surf spots. If the Reef was somewhere in Australia, it’d be called “Widow-Beaters” or some such thing; if it was in California, it’d have a name like “Pile-Drivers,” ’cause that’s exactly what you’ll end up doing to the urchin-infested lava rock reef if you blow the drop or fall in the tube — which you will do.
Basically, the Reef is a little finger of lava that sticks out at the far south tip of the Ribeira Bay. North swells come in from fairly deep water, peak up on an outside rock and fold over themselves down the line in one of the fastest — and most dangerous — tubes around. There are no cutback sections, really, and very little room for error. If you blow the drop, you’re up on really sharp, dry reef, doing the safety dance — as well as being the main attraction for the campers laughing at you on the cliff. But if you’re able to fight off the locals and make the ledgey drop from behind the peak, you’re in for a fantastic four seconds of View. Just remember to avoid going for that floater on the inside section — yes, that’s dry reef too, and there’s a very good chance there’s a wave right behind yours.
There are a few other waves close by, if you’re not in the mood for tight tubes and reef dances: Piedra Branca (White Rock) is a hollow high-tide left about 100 yards south. There’s a slightly mushy right just south of the Reef, and on bigger swells, a left breaks off the north edge.
Foz de Lizandro:
If you don’t feel like battling the crowds or the urchins at one of Ericeira’s reefbreaks, or the swell is pretty small, Foz can offer up fun, little peaks that are similar to any average California beachbreak — some days good, some days bad, depending on the shifting sandbanks. There’s a rivermouth at the south end that opens up in winter and can make a damn fine left in front of the rocks. Toward the middle of the beach, there are assorted peaks that pop up as the tide, which is pretty extreme in these parts, goes in and out.
The scene on the beach is pretty classic, too, as this is the closest big stretch of sand to Ericiera. There’s beach volleyball, kids jumping into the river, families sun tanning religiously and a bar right there, in case all that ogling and surfing renders you a little, well, parched. It’s definitely not a bad place to while away a Sunday afternoon.