Surf the Silver Coast
From the record-breaking monsters of Nazaré to the perfect tubes of Peniche and gentle beginner waves at Baleal, this stretch of the Atlantic has a wave for everyone.
Nazaré · Praia do Norte
Just off Nazaré's North Beach, the Atlantic seabed drops into the Nazaré Canyon, a vast underwater gorge. Winter swells racing in from the ocean are focused and amplified by the canyon, so they stack up into some of the largest waves ever surfed.
On the biggest days, tow-in teams on jet skis whip the world's best big-wave surfers into faces taller than a ten-storey building, while thousands of people watch from the cliffs below the red lighthouse of the Fort of São Miguel Arcanjo.
Getting there: Nazaré is about 50 minutes' drive north of Casa Bica Vista.
When to see it: the giant swells arrive in the autumn and winter months, roughly October to March. Check the forecast and head to the fort early on a big day.
Watch
In January 2013, Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara rode a Nazaré wave that was reported around the world as a "100-foot wave". It was never officially measured, but the ride made Nazaré famous overnight.
Record breakers
The ride that first put Nazaré on the map and set a world record.
Widely reported as 100 feet but never officially confirmed. It remains the most famous wave in big-wave surfing.
The Brazilian surfer's ride set a new world record.
The current Guinness World Record for the largest wave ever surfed.
An even bigger wave, measured by his own team and still awaiting official recognition.
Watch the giants, then surf your own wave.
Peniche & Baleal
Peniche is about 25 minutes from the house. It sits on a peninsula with beaches facing in different directions, so whatever the wind and swell are doing, there is usually somewhere with good waves.
Supertubos is one of Europe's best beach breaks, famous for powerful, hollow tubes. Every autumn it hosts the world's best surfers on the World Surf League Championship Tour.
Baleal, a little island village joined to the mainland by a sandy causeway, has sheltered, gentle waves and plenty of surf schools. It's the perfect place for a first lesson or a relaxed session.
Plan your sessions
Book a lesson at Areia Branca, 10 minutes from the house, or at Baleal. Boards and wetsuits are included, and summer brings smaller, friendlier waves.
Spring and autumn bring consistent swell. A surf guide will pick the right beach for the day around the Peniche peninsula.
Supertubos and the reef and point breaks nearby deliver powerful, hollow waves, best from autumn through spring.
On a big winter swell, head to the Nazaré lighthouse for one of the greatest free shows in sport.
The Atlantic is cool all year: a 3/2 wetsuit in summer and a 4/3 with boots in winter. Board and wetsuit hire is easy to find locally.
Grilled fish in Peniche harbour, sunset from the Nazaré cliffs, then home to the pool at Casa Bica Vista.
Gallery
Stay & surf
Make Casa Bica Vista your surf base. Mention surfing in your enquiry and we'll point you to the best schools, guides and beaches for your level.
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