We've been hanging out on the South Coast of Portugal's Algarve for nearly eight years now – how has that happened?? – so we've got a pretty good sense of our favourite things, particularly when it is surf-related.
Words by Rachel Lingham & Photography by Joel Rollason | 12th September '23
And we're pretty stoked to say that the more time we spend here, the more we learn about the seasons - particularly the best time for surf. And the more we learn, the more we can share with you good people. Read on to find out what is is about Portugal in the autumn that our team loves so much...
Lovely, glassy, wavey. Autumn, we salute you.
After a long hot, dry summer in the Algarve the respite of autumn is not just welcomed but very much needed. The land slowly becomes less scorched, the winds die down and switch to a more favourable direction.
The roads, the supermarkets, the beaches and the line ups become a little more manageable and we find the time to see some familiar faces. As the surf size increases, as it starts to line up and as it becomes more powerful the first long range swell is a gentle reminder to work on surf fitness and breathwork. Things just become a little more serious.
As someone who surfs it is the autumn season that excites me the most. Don’t get me wrong, I love the warmth of the summer sun and the longer days, but nothing beats waking up to dew on the grass knowing the winds are light and offshore, the crowds have thinned and all those quiet, lesser-known corners are beginning to have waves. Plus, not having to book a table at a restaurant is a bonus!
September still has that summer feeling, and some of the warmest sea temperatures with deeper, longer-period swells marking the end of summer slop.
It’s my favourite month, as its the best of both worlds.
AND I can get a parking space in Burgau.
There is such a magic about Portugal at this time of year, and I have fallen so completely in love with this wild, beautiful part of the world as it starts to get into autumn.
Summer is great an’ all, but it’s intense. It’s busy, it’s Very Hot, and it’s pretty, well, windy. So the surf can be a bit messy.
Then September rolls around and it’s like a switch is flipped. The wind drops, the waves clean up, the swell comes back and the waves get really, really good. And we’re not just talking about macking west coast, we’re also talking lovely little longboard peelers on the south, and spots starting to work that are too flat. AND the water is about as warm as it gets.
In the early days of us running the Soul & Surf Pop-Ups here, we always picked weeks that were outside of the main summer season, and the autumn pop-ups were always the ones that felt the most special.
Whatever your level, autumn has a wave for you
Long, reeling waves with less crowds? Sign us up
*when it is small. Big Supertubos is terrifying.
Sounds good, huh? Come and see for yourself why we rave about this time of year so much - head on over to our main Soul & Surf Portugal pages to find out more
Ready to book? Do it here>>
Surf lessons, under a nice cliff, in lovely little waves.
