Surf Holidays Portugal
From beginner surf lessons in Portugal, to complete surf holidays in Lisbon, Algarve & Madeira!
Surfing in Portugal has to be one of the coolest experiences around. Portugal is made for surfing, with a great vibe, consistent swells and great beaches around the country. That’s why Big Blue Adventures decided to set up a range of surfing services, from surfing in Portugal for beginners, and surf sessions for advanced surfers, all the way up to full-on surf holidays and camps that include day tours, accommodation and transportation. There’s no equal to surfing in Portugal, but if you live in the UK and you’re looking for something a little closer to home, check out our Surfing Wales page.
We have the resources and local knowledge to bring you to the best waves around, ensuring that your Portuguese surfing adventure is as successful as possible. And if you’re looking for even more from your trip to Portugal, check out our Portugal Coasteering and Portugal Paddleboarding activities.
Big Blue Adventures specialises in group adventure travel including a range of outdoor activities, adventure day tours or multi-night breaks across Portugal. So, whether you just need to the book your surf lesson only, a fun day out or multi-lesson surf camp – we have you covered. Please contact us via the quote button, the website chat or call us today – we are ready to help!
West Algarve - Lagos
Aljezur & Lagos areas
Large groups welcome
Beginner to advanced lessons
With breathtaking, rugged coastlines, crystal clear seas and up to 300 days of sunshine a year – Algarve is a surf paradise! It boasts world-class breaks for all levels and is a must do activity while in Portugal. We cover lessons on the west side of Algarve, in the Lagos area and also Aljezur with several spots for various conditions at our disposal.
Breakdown:
- 1/2 day lessons, double surf session days or multi-day surf camp holidays for your group available
- Lessons last for typically 3 hours with around 2 hours water time
- Experienced, professional licensed instructors with a fun vibe – we want you to catch waves!
- Surf boards with wetsuits included
- Video analyses available for intermediate to advanced surf sessions
- Goes well with a beach yoga session before or after the surf
- Double up on your surf day? We always suggest the second lesson as you are more into your stride by then and spend more time on the waves
- Add-on coastal hikes with a sunset finish, boat tours, coasteering or a SUP tour for the complete day out.
Lisbon
Carcavelos & Guincho
Large groups welcome
Beginner to advanced lessons
Lisbon is an absolutely epic location for a surf lesson or surf camp with your amigos! With really convenient transport from the city to the surf beaches close by it’s the perfect mix between urban and beachy surf vibes. We are here to get you catching waves and if you wish to discuss other surf travel elements, do not hesitate to ask us about our tailor-made group travel!
Breakdown:
- 1/2 day lessons, double surf session days or multi-day surf camp holidays for your group available
- Lessons last for typically 3 hours with around 2 hours water time
- Experienced, professional licensed instructors with a fun vibe – we want you to catch waves!
- Surf boards with wetsuits included
- Video analyses available for intermediate to advanced surf sessions
- Goes well with a beach yoga session before or after the surf
- Double up on your surf day? We always suggest the second lesson as you are more into your stride by then and spend more time on the waves
- Add-on a boat tour with BBQ, mountain biking or a SUP tour for the complete day out.
Madeira
East and north island
Groups up to 20 is best
Beginner to advanced lessons
If you are looking for a tropical surf but aren’t jumping on a plane to Bali or Hawaii anytime soon then surfing in Madeira is what you want! Blessed with warm seas and great all year round weather, Madeira also has world-class surf spots for all levels and is somewhat an under the radar world-class surf destination. The west having advanced breaks that even got Kelly Slater running to the sea. While we stick to the east and sometimes north by Seixal for beginner to intermediate surf lessons.
Breakdown:
- 1/2 day lessons, double surf session days or multi-day surf camp holidays for your group available
- Lessons last for typically 3 hours with around 2 hours water time
- Experienced, professional licensed instructors with a fun vibe – we want you to catch waves!
- Surf boards with wetsuits included (we do use shorties in the warmer seasons)
- Video analyses available for intermediate to advanced surf sessions
- Goes well with a yoga session before or after the surf
- Double up on your surf day? We always suggest the second lesson as you are more into your stride by then and spend more time on the waves
- Add-on a levada hike, mountain biking or stop at the famous Madeira rum factory for a tour for the complete day out.
Surf Lesson Only
Activity only sale
No pictures or video
Choose your surf spot!
Just looking to book your surf lesson with us only? That’s no issue at all. Prices are dependant on group numbers, location and amount of sessions – so please contact us through the website chat, get a quote or call us today!
Surf Day Tour
Transfers
Pictures and Highlights
Food & drinks
Our most popular option with surfing in Portugal is our hosted day tours. We take the stress off your hands and bring the good vibes and extra touches to complete the experience. With a door to door transfer service, optional inclusion of lunch / dinner to suit your budget and our team there to capture the moments with a load of great pictures and a personal highlights video for you. The perfect surf day out!
Breakdown:
- Clean private minibuses up to large coaches with AC
- We can include lunch or dinners with drinks at awesome coastal bars & restaurants to suit your budget and style. Packed lunches also available for busier days
- Less stress for the group having us there to host and coordinate the day
- Pictures and video with a highlights video
- Competitions for ‘Surfer of the Day’ where the winner get’s a cool prize
- Add in extra sight-seeing, or why not double up on the adventures with an extra surf or other activity? Ask us for some ideas.
Surf Camps & Breaks
Surf lessons & other activities
Group accommodation
Other travel essentials
At Big Blue Adventures we are specialists in package adventure travel for groups and can provide tailor-made surf getaways! Whether you want a weekend break on a stag or hen do, an active team building retreat or a large family holiday in Portugal – we offer surf travel with an award winning service and quality package options.
Breakdown:
- Surfing and a range of other outdoor adventures
- Cultural sightseeing and exploring including hiking, bike tours & much more
- Range of group accommodation from surfy hostels, private villas to nice hotels
- Transfers
- Food & drink
- Friendly local host team
- Pics & highlights video
- Great for stag & hen weekends, company retreats, kids camps, media & press trips, families and more!
PIctures & video
What better way to capture those special surf moments than having us there as your very own media crew? We will be there like proud hosts and we include pictures and a personalised highlights video. We love surfing and the smiles it puts on everyone’s faces. We get a real buzz from putting together the highlights and sharing them with you after the trip.
Photos and video are typically included in the day tours and multi-night trips only, but we can on request try and include pictures in activity only. It depends on our instructors.
How much will my surf cost?
All our day and multi-night packages are 100% tailor-made for you! So, we can create a Big Blue Adventure to suit specific budgets and what you would like to include for the perfect surf experience. The more surfs or activities and package elements you include the more that package will cost. It also depends on your final numbers in the group: generally larger groups have a cheaper per person rate over smaller groups as there are more people to split the core package costs between. Best thing to do is request a quote – it costs you nothing to start the ball rolling and say hello, we can send a great package your way from there.
Payments
When you’re ready to book your surf lessons we simply start with a 30% non-refundable deposit to confirm it all. The final balance is typically required no later than 3 weeks before your activity date for day tours, or 6 weeks for multi-night packages. Most customers pay by bank transfer, but we can also accept debit and credit card transaction upon request.
We can also make some changes between the deposit and the final balance payment. Such as amending a few dropouts / attendee increases, or making some package changes within reason. For further information please do see our terms and conditions.
What to bring
To take part in surfing all you need is:
- Swimwear or spare underwear for under the wetsuit. Try and avoid boardies as anything baggy can be very uncomfortable under a wetsuit
- A towel
- Sun cream
- Water (please try and avoid throw away single use plastic!)
- Any medication you need to keep on you, such as an asthma pump
All the essential kit is included; wetsuits and boards.
Are meals & drinks included?
We can include lunch, a packed lunch or dinner after the surf lesson with drinks. It all depends on what type of meal you want, how much budget you have for the meal and free time. We work with some amazing local places by the beach or we can stop by restaurants and establishments in Lisbon or Lagos. We can work on this to fit the itinerary and plans!
Group size
Minimum numbers are 10 people per group.
Surf lessons in Algarve and Lisbon are normally capped at around 30-35 people maximum and we must stick to safe ratios of instructor to student. We can take larger groups and work with the itinerary to ensure everyone is involved in some capacity.
Surf lessons in Madeira are typically limited to group sizes of 15 – 20 people. That is due to the narrow surf spots we have on the island. But if you have a larger group don’t be put off as we can work things out, so everyone is surfing and doing something awesome. We can take bookings for larger groups on the island that works well!
Why Adventure With Us…


Our Big Blue destinations offer great group accommodation options, good travel links, quality facilities and world-class adventures. We spend a lot of time at our locations and know what works well for groups.

Specialists in hosted group adventure travel, with numbers between 10-200+ people. BBA offers an award winning service; we’ll always go the extra mile to ensure our packages are perfect for your group.

The best way to remember your surf trip? A highlights video that captures all the best moments of your adventure. Video & pictures are included in all of our full packages.


Why We Love This…
“You can’t beat the unique vibe of catching waves with your friends. And it doesn’t get much better than surfing in Portugal! With the sun on your face, stunning clear seas and epic Portuguese coastlines, Portugal is up there as a world-class surf destination. My perfect surf day ends with a cold beer & BBQ Dourada fish watching the sunset with your crew. Pura vida!”
Daniel
Founder & Co-owner