Catching waves (well a few) in Ericeira with Swansea Uni Surf Club
On April 11th I headed to Ericeira, Portugal with about thirty members of Swansea Uni’s Surf Club for our annual surf trip. Read on to find out what we got up to in the week that followed……
Tuesday 11/04
Barely five minutes after leaving Lisbon Airport and we’re already going the wrong way (Heather, Matt and myself). Like completely the opposite direction. A good extra half an hour journey over the Vasco da Gama bridge. It’s a stunning view, at least. And by the end of the hour car journey (that should have only been 35 minutes) we all know each other very well; oversharing with strangers….
We arrive first at the hostel but don’t stay long. I empty my luggage unceremoniously on the floor, the quickest way to find my wetsuit. We chuck everything in the car, boards and Heather included and make the five minute drive up to Ribeira d’Ilhas (with a stop at Pedra Branca on the way, though I convince Matt that Ribeira will be better, the former looking too big for me).
I paddle out in the channel to the left of the beach, the current’s not too strong (as it often is). I can see sets rolling through and breaking heavy on the reef. Nice and chunky. And it’s not too crowded either. I watch Matt get a bunch of waves, his hair disappearing behind the lip as he drops in again and again. I catch a couple then come in, it’s only day one and I don’t want to push myself too much.
When we get back to town, everyone else is arriving. Then, lucky me, my board falls and hits a wall as I’m washing my wetsuit, smashing up the nose…. I am less than pleased. Thankfully, captain Ollie is on hand with some solarez and quite literally saves my day.
We go out after dinner and sit on Pescadores beach for a bit in the evening, listening to the waves lap at the quiet shoreline. The night quickly descends into chaos. We end up at a local bar called Tubo, with many overpriced drinks and questionable dancing. At some point we stumble home. The photo evidence says around two am.
Conditions:
Ribeira - at least 6 foot, wind not too strong cross, to off I recon.
Wednesday 12/04
I don’t surf on Wednesday. Originally, I blame it on the conditions but ultimately, it’s anxiety. I had found the previous day very overwhelming and opt to look after myself instead of getting slammed in the water for hours.
Praia do Sul has some heavy shore break and it shocks a lot of people on the trip that thought they would be surfing alright. Not many catch waves.
The weather gets pretty shitty. A low cloud blankets the town most of the day, yet it is still a little humid. When it does start to drizzle mid-afternoon, I’m on my way to Praia do Sul. But it turns out okay, as I sit under Balagan’s yellow striped awning on the beach front and spend a couple of hours reading. Coffee and wrapped in my jumper, I enjoy the view of bruised sky and the few surfers who have paddled out to surf the heaving waves. Quite a romantic self-care moment.
When I arrive back at Chill In (our hostel), I find one of Matt’s boards snapped clean in half on the floor…..
Ben had taken it out at Praia do Sul and got it munched by the ocean. Matt is not happy.
A themed night in town proves too much for me, so I have an early night in. But the ‘All Things Swansea’ costumes I did see were brilliant. There were a lot of swan and seagull inflatables going around. And Amelia even dressed up as a sheep; the locals are confused.
Thursday 13/04
With a clear (cough, alcohol free) head the next morning I pootle down to Praia do Sul for an early morning swim in the lagoon. The sun is just hitting the water as I arrive. It’s unexpectedly rippy in the high tide water, but I feel considerably more refreshed after anyway.
The conditions aren’t amazing, and I choose again not to surf. My anxiety isn’t great.
Heather and I spend most of the day mooching around the centre of town. I take her to all my favourite shops: Chana’s Town, Mothersurf, Saints at Sea etc. We buy pastries from the ‘pastellaria’ for lunch, which we eat on Pescadores, basking in the sun like the cats on the walls above us. The rest of the afternoon is spent in and out of the water, bikinis only (it’s considerably warmer than Wales!) Some people try to surf the harbour, but the swell just isn’t quite big enough and I only see Oscar catch any waves.
Back at the hostel in the evening, we all take advantage of the incredibly cheap wine (two euro a bottle) and get incredibly wine drunk. An interesting night.
Friday 14/04
Everyone’s down at Ribeira. Like sheep, once someone decides that the conditions at the world famous reef break are better than the rest of the area, we all follow. It’s quite entertaining really, as we all sit in one massive crowd on the beach, matching boonies and hoodies dotting the sand.
I go with the beginner lesson that some of the club are taking and film in the water using Amelia’s waterproof go-pro. I will be buying one for myself.
There is some umming and arrhing about whether people will actually go out to the line up and surf: the current’s strong and it’s just gone high tide. We watch Andy paddle out on the far right of the reef and get washed in on the far left of the reef twenty minutes later. He walks back to the other end of the reef to go again. We lose count of how many times he tries. A committed surfer to say the least.
After a couple of hours of being indecisive I go back to Praia do Sul with Dom and Michelle. It’s heavy and I can see some locals out. We have to sit right on the shoulder and the take off spot is very small; the wave stands up so quickly, fast. Too fast for me. I paddle back to the beach after about 40 minutes. I don’t want to end up getting smashed on the Chicken’s Arse (a part of reef) that Ben had the previous day.
It's Friday so the whole group heads to Board Riders in the evening for live music, skating and the sunset. I manage to catch up with some old friends from my previous summer in Ericeira. It’s a nostalgic evening (not counting the part where Oscar absolutely stacks it in the bowl).
Conditions:
Praia do Sul - 4-6ish, 16 secs, n or nne wind 20mphish maybe, definitely cross.
Ribeira - around 6-8 feet, long swell period, can’t think of wind, but fucking strong current.
Saturday 15/04
I head to Ribeira by myself around lunch, Dan and Amira join later. The current still really strong so we all just fuck about in white water where the reef isn’t too dangerous. At least we have fun.
We drive back to Praia do Sul in the evening, where the waves are more shit, and people haven’t really surfed all day. Although, I do see Morgan catch a few sketchy ones off the sea wall to the left of the beach. The shore dump is heavy. We end up playing rounders instead and someone suggests we use a board as a bat; chaos ensues.
After a light dinner at Chill In, the wine is out again and we play ‘escape the crate’. It’s just another excuse to get pissed but no one is complaining. Robby ends up sleeping on the roof.
Conditions:
Ribeira - 4-7f, 14s, 20ishmph, off/cross, N-NNE, HT 12pm.
Sunday 16/04
Dawny with Matt and Ben at Ribeira and the waves are so good (as well as the weather!) It’s thankfully quiet when we arrive but gets busy quickly as the morning draws on. I have an anxiety moment not long into the session, so get out pretty quickly and film instead. Or try to film; I do not get on with Ben’s camera. After about an hour and half the wind turns up a little and as the tide stretches out over the reef the conditions deteriorate. It’s a good morning.
We all end up at Foz do Lizandro for rest of day, where the waves are heavy and fast. I get sucked over falls when I think I’m sitting on the outside, I am not happy about it. I head back in though, this time armed with an ancient GoPro and film Ben and Oscar surfing. I’m really beginning to enjoy being behind the camera, it’s a totally different experience to being the one on a board.
Everyone is incredibly burnt at the end of the day. Obviously, the best cure for sun burn is drinking games (according to uni students).
Conditions:
Ribeira - 4-7f, 12s, 8mph, off NE, LT 7 am.
Foz - 4-6f, 14s, 7+ mph, off to cross ne to nw, HT 1pm.
Monday 17/04
It’s our last full day. The week has passed so quickly!
I chill in town for a while, doing my own thing, then walk to Praia do Sul for a quick sunbathe and swim. I think we’ve all given into to the lobster look now.
In the afternoon I go to Ribeira with the lesson and Heather, the waves are so good: not too big, quick paddle out, easy take off. I could have stayed in for hours! The tide going out and the reef getting shallower doesn’t deter anyone. And although the line-up is busy, everyone’s getting waves. I only get out when my face starts feeling very crispy and my shoulders feel truly leaden.
Heather, Jess and I stay a bit longer at Ribeira to enjoy the sunset, good vibes and cold beer.
In the evening we take over Pepe Verde’s (best pizza place in town) with a group meal. The food is amazing and we spend the time talking about the surfing that day. Apparently the boys had been ripping down at Foz all day and Ollie got barrelled.
To end the night, the committee run a Kangaroo Court. I win Biggest Kook (I’m taking it in my stride), Ollie wins Biggest Kelly Slater and Oscar is accused of trying to kill a child with a frisbee…
A lot of beer is drunk.
Conditions:
Ribeira - 3-5 f, 10s, 10ishmph, off NNE-N-E, HT 2pm.
Foz - 4ft shore breaking chaos.
Tuesday 18/04
There are lots of hungover and tired people. I think all the adrenaline and endorphins have worn off now.
I go for a final wander through town to say goodbye to a couple of friends and grab coffee at Balagans by myself, I need a mindful moment.
James and Ollie are the only two surfing this morning, down at Praia do Sul. It’s heavy and absolute carnage but good if you can get out back. James gets dropped in on and his board is a bit fucked with a massive ding after an hour. A little memento of the trip (along with Matt’s snapped stick).
We load up the coach at 1 pm and have a sweaty drive down to Lisbon. We arrive at the airport only to find out that one of our flights back to Gatwick has been delayed…. by seven hours.
It’s a long day.
Conditions:
Praia do Sul – 5-8 f, 13s, 6mph, off ne and e, not much dfference in tide hight, still early in spring.
Wednesday 19/04
At 1 am, five of us are still in Lisbon. We get home at 4 am.
I would like to say a massive thank you to the Swansea University Surf Club for organising the trip and all the effort you put into it to ensure we all had an amazing time!