Surfboards for Surfing Vacation in Porto

A surfing vacation in Porto is something every surfer should long for the entire year, especially those who have limited time to surf, are not close to an ideal beach, or just live to far away from the shore. Once you get the surfing fever, combining a relaxing surfing vacation with the culture of northern Portugal should be music to a surfer’s ear..

In order to get the most out of your surfing days in the Porto area, there are a couple of things that a surfer should pay attention too when it comes to making the right surfboard choice. This choice is crucial for making the best of each wave and therefore contributes to experiencing a fun surfing vacation in Porto, in the north of Portugal.

About Surfboards

A surfboard should serve the surfer really. It should attend to your skills, your physical characteristics and the waves you will surf.

Foam is your friend. Don’t be scared of it. A little bit of extra foam here and there is good for the soul, and your surfing. – Rob Machado

Volume is probably the most important aspect. Not only the length makes the board’s volume but also its wideness and thickness. The heavier the surfer is, the more volume he needs under his feet. A short volume surfboard probably will sink or some of the rail will dig under water easily when turning.

Beginner’s boards need extra volume, as it helps to catch more waves and makes the paddling easier. Longer boards allow more space to place the surfer’s feet correctly. The soft material is recommended because small accidents can happen . No pain, no gain!

Surfboard’s outline, rails, bottom and tail types are some of the things that some intermediate and advanced surfers think about when it’s time to pick a new vehicle. Also its durability: PU (Polyurethane) surfboards are not as resistant as the EPS (epoxy). Their flotation and response to surfing conditions are also different.

The softer, slower and forgiving the waves are, the more volume a surfboard needs. The opposite it’s also true: bigger waves require bigger boards, so surfers can catch waves at the right moment and face those stiffer walls. Average conditions together with experienced surfers can make a shortboard the right choice.

What to expect from your surfing vacation in Porto

Most of the waves around Porto are beach breaks and point breaks, with slower or faster waves, stiffer or more beginner’s friendly. Matosinhos beach as well as Porto’s urban beach, have smaller forgiving waves, so beginners friendly. A board with an extra volume is therefore required.

Espinho spots have different kind of waves: smaller / slower and bigger / faster, depending the time of the year. Experienced surfers can go for a surfboard with more volume on the smaller days, like fish surfboards or wider/ thicker shortboards. In hollow conditions, a larger shortboard with a bit more drive, therefore less responsive in curves, may allow the surfer to hang out easier in barrels. The best surfing vacation conditions for beginners are during the summer (nice weather). But really beginners can start out during the whole year, especially in the bay spot (Espinho).

Esmoriz area has several surf spots- Esmoriz, Cortegaça and Maceda beach. Waves are rideable up to 1.5 meters and the best surfboard depends on the wave’s size, besides all the surfer related factors. There’s always a friendly spot for beginners and their boards.

Check “The best Surf Spots in North Portugal” blog post for more info about surf spots and beaches close to Porto. For more details about the surf spots in Espinho and Esmoriz, please have a look to each one of our house label menu’s. We’ve set up a friendly map for our surfer visitors! Let us help you with planning your ideal surfing holiday.

Our services on surfboards

Here in Watermark Surf House, we provide all the equipment needed to our guests. However, some of our guests that can already perform, or at least try to, and want to have their own surfboard often ask us for advice on which board to choose. Their concerns?

  1. The surfboard has to adjust their needs and to surfing conditions;
  2. Flight taxes for the board
  3. Price.

So we started to work on that…  And now we’re happy to have Surfactory as partners, and we are proud to announce that. We are sure that with these partnerships we can make your surfing vacation in Porto experience even better. We pride ourselves on giving our surfing guests an opportunity to enjoy a quality service, besides having a great deal.

Our Partners to make your surfing vacation in Porto even better

The Surfactory team puts all their local wave knowledge and experience in surfboards. Their two brands and models offer a variety of boards that suit perfectly to the local waves and our guest’s surfing needs. Our visitors can order a surfboard in advance, enjoy a friendly discount and pick up the board once they’re here. Easy enough? Go to Surfboards, Surf gear & Surfwear (Services) and verify conditions.

Therefore, our surf holiday guests are now able to:

  • get a surfboard appropriate for our local conditions, made by an experienced local surfing brand;
  • get a surfboard tailored for travellers;
  • save some money on a surfboard and, at least, half of the flight taxes, as they’re able to pick the board here (Surfactory boards only).

So, once everything is settled there’s only one thing missing: you.

Surf’s up!

Watermark Surf House
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