Surfing in Madeira
Encyclopedia
Surfing
first started in the Portuguese island of Madeira
in the 1970s off the villages of Paul do Mar
, Jardim do Mar
and Punta Pequena. Almost every surfspot is rocky and powerful. No waves seem to break under six feet in the winter months. Madeira did not really come to the attention of foreign surfers until articles in surfing magazines in the mid-1990s. Since 1996, top Portuguese surfers from the mainland compete in the Madeira regional edition of the 'Billabong' Challenge.
In 2001, the World Big Wave
Championships were held in Madeira.
Paul do Mar: this surfspot according to surf experts has the best barreling waves (also known as tubular or tunnel waves) on the island. Both stand-up surfing and bodyboarding
are practised at this spot. The ISA World Surf championships have been hosted on the islands which are better known to be held in areas such as Hawaii. Paul do Mar region of the island is respected throughout the surf community as it offers eight metre high waves and fantastic tubular tunnels. The World Big Wave Championships 2001 was held at Paul do Mar.
Punta Pequena: another perfect right-hander. Punta Pequena is situated between Jardim do Mar and Paul do Mar
Lugar de Baixo: really hollow and fast.
Sao Vicente: on the north coast is a calmer spot suitable for beginners and intermediate surfers. Here a surf school is based.
Jardim do Mar: the right-hander. Surfing at Jardim is only for the experienced as the waves break large. They start at around two metres and reeling right-handers can reach five metres sweeping along the rocky point.
Jardim do Mar was documented in Jacob Holcomb's film "Lost Jewel of the Atlantic".
The beaches off Funchal
, Madeira’s capital, sometimes have fun left-handers.
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
first started in the Portuguese island of Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
in the 1970s off the villages of Paul do Mar
Paul do Mar
Paul do Mar is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta, in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira. The population in 2001 was 885 in an coastal area of , with a density of less than 632 inhabitants per kilometre square.-History:...
, Jardim do Mar
Jardim do Mar
Jardim do Mar is a civil parish in the western part of the municipality of Calheta in the archipelago of Madeira...
and Punta Pequena. Almost every surfspot is rocky and powerful. No waves seem to break under six feet in the winter months. Madeira did not really come to the attention of foreign surfers until articles in surfing magazines in the mid-1990s. Since 1996, top Portuguese surfers from the mainland compete in the Madeira regional edition of the 'Billabong' Challenge.
In 2001, the World Big Wave
Big wave surfing
Big wave surfing is a discipline within surfing in which experienced surfers paddle into or are towed onto waves which are at least 20 feet high, on surf boards known as "guns" or "rhino chasers". Sizes of the board needed to successfully surf these waves vary by the size of the wave as well as...
Championships were held in Madeira.
Madeira's surfspots
Bodyboarding
Bodyboarding is a surface water sport . The average board consists of a small, rectangular piece of hydrodynamic foam, sometimes containing a ridged spine called a 'stringer'...
are practised at this spot. The ISA World Surf championships have been hosted on the islands which are better known to be held in areas such as Hawaii. Paul do Mar region of the island is respected throughout the surf community as it offers eight metre high waves and fantastic tubular tunnels. The World Big Wave Championships 2001 was held at Paul do Mar.
Punta Pequena: another perfect right-hander. Punta Pequena is situated between Jardim do Mar and Paul do Mar
Lugar de Baixo: really hollow and fast.
Sao Vicente: on the north coast is a calmer spot suitable for beginners and intermediate surfers. Here a surf school is based.
Jardim do Mar: the right-hander. Surfing at Jardim is only for the experienced as the waves break large. They start at around two metres and reeling right-handers can reach five metres sweeping along the rocky point.
Jardim do Mar was documented in Jacob Holcomb's film "Lost Jewel of the Atlantic".
The beaches off Funchal
Funchal
Funchal is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. The city has a population of 112,015 and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries.-Etymology:...
, Madeira’s capital, sometimes have fun left-handers.