Madeira

[PipeDreams]

I've been planning and booking trips over Europe for next winter with a ton of research, but one place that I can find hardly any surfing info on is Madeira. I have the stormrider books which are very helpful and give me a good baseline of knowledge of the place, but online there is hardly anything! I would like to travel with good knowledge of the places I'm going, and I don't feel confident on it just yet. Just wondering if any of you lot have ever surfed on the island and any first or second hand experience of the place would be much appreciated! (It would fit into my big trip with a few weeks in november most likely)

[jaffa1949]

Well Madeira, quite a Hawaiian level surf zone , the west coast produces some very heavy point breaks double to triple overhead with full ocean volume, (Jaffa statement here this is the volume surfers ought to be concerned about).

You as I would be measuring my capabilities and gonads against what I am looking at when swell is happening.
Reefs and point breaks have a severe marriage here with strong drift taking you out of the safe take off zone.
Lock in bigger sneaker sets, = In the middle of the north coast there may be a couple of beaches that suit.

Points of advantage of going to a known big surf zone, less crowds , more experienced surfers.
Worth buying a good camera and lens system to shoot the days you don‘t go out.
Another thought, travel between breaks west to east and west to north involves heaps of winding road travel wher e the drive may not beat the wid change in the time you travel.
In short a serious surf scene where commitment is the key

[PipeDreams]

Thanks Jaffa, appreciate it! Sounds pretty epic, and although I am starting to tackle some heavier stuff, I know my limits and I will give this a pass for this year! Sounds like a bit too big of a step for me. It will stay as a dream location for now and I will reconsider it sometime down the line I will probaly just spend a bit longer in Morocco instead!

[ottoflake]

Thanks for the info!

[joecolley99]

Great to see you still helping everyone out with their trips Jaffa! Not sure if you remember but you gave my mates and I some great tips for our surf trip to Tassie last year and scored some epic waves at Murrawah and Cloudy Bay like you said! We’re currently on our way to Madeira at the moment and we’re wondering if you had any recommendations for spots on the North and west Coasts? Think NW will be the primary swell direction while we are here. Hope your well mate !

[jaffa1949]

Thanks for the compliment, the advice i offer up the post, the heavier days can be Hawaii heavy, so choose and be aware of your limits and what is on offer.
It is also hard travel between spots, Imagine driving up and over arms of mountain ranges to get from A to B, there are recommended learner and intermediate spots just google surf Madeira.

[Kulharin]

Less crazy localism than the Canary Islands? ... And a warmer climate compared to Azores? ... Maybe one day I'll visit!