West Portugal

To view live HD surf cams in Portugal near this spot, CLICK HERE. A couple of miles north of Peniche is the sandy little island village of Baleal. It's not really much of a town, but it's been a big destination for traveling surfers for more than 20 years -- especially when the reefs around Ericiera are blown out with north or south winds. Baleal is an island, so there's almost always a protected beach. It's no surprise that most of the learn-to-surf camps in Portugal are located here. With the mellow (though localized) left reefbreak of Lagide just north of town, followed by miles of open beachbreak, you can have a pretty high surfer population density without pissing too many people off. There's even a protected bay south of town with mediocre beachbreak that's sheltered from north winds (and huge swells). You won't find perfection in Baleal -- there's no hidden Coxos, and Supertubes is a couple miles south -- but if you keep one eye out on the shifting sandbanks and the other on the flagpoles, you might be able to score some damn fine beachbreaks with mellow crowds. Plus, the learn-to-surf camps bring in lovely Northern Europeans superkeen on surfing, so if you're in the mood to give a couple lessons . . .

To view the Ribeira de Ilhas live HD surf cam, CLICK HERE. Often compared to Bells Beach, Riberia de Ilhas is one of Ericiera's most consistent and varied high-performance waves. Situated inside a large bay between the Reef and Coxos, Riberia is made up of a series of flat rock shelves that jut out into the middle of the bay and pick up most any swell the Atlantic has to offer. The fact that it's slightly protected by the cliffs on either side means it stays relatively glassy when other spots are blown out, though it receives slightly less swell than places like Coxos. Riberia has been home to more contests than any other beach in Portugal, and for good reason. When it's small, swells come in and peak up in different parts of the reef, allowing for a broad takeoff zone. As it gets bigger, the rights reel down in a manner that's been called a cross between Bells and third point Malibu. Once it's 6 foot, you could theoretically hit the lip more than a dozen times all the way to shore. It just keeps magically setting up in front of you and is especially fun going backside. Add the fairly dramatic, amphitheater-like surrounding beach, and you've got a contest promoter's wet dream.

To view live HD surf cams in Portugal near this spot, CLICK HERE. Coxos is the crown jewel of Portugal -- Europe's best right. It's ironic, actually, because it was one of the last "discoveries" in the Ericiera area. A small group of surfers managed to keep it secret for years until, in the mid-'80s, guys like Nick Uricchio managed to follow 'em down the farmer's track and were absolutely blown away with what they saw. It was only a matter of time till word got out, and though there are not really any contests at Coxos, it's very rare to strike it good and uncrowded. The wave -- which is like a reef/pointbreak -- breaks along a shallow rock shelf into a very small bay. Swells muscle their way in from deep water just offshore and form into these fast-moving symmetrical right walls that seem to concentrate all their power into the base of the wave rather than the lip, similar to many Hawaiian waves. There's no easy entry at Coxos: you've got to paddle like mad, get to your feet and start driving, otherwise you'll get sucked over and -- you guessed it -- end up on the reef. If you do it right, though, it's the best barrel in Europe. Put it this way: Aussie traveler Daf Williams -- who'd just returned from four months in Indo and two months at J-Bay -- got three tubes on one 8-foot wave at Coxos, smashed his 7'0" into three pieces on the rocks, came in and said, "That's the best tube I've ever got. I'm going home."

To view the Supertubes live HD surf cam, CLICK HERE. Surfers everywhere are pretty tuned into the smells of their local beach. In Southern California, dry offshores tinge the air with chaparral; in parts of Australia, the smell of eucalyptus wafts out to the lineup and in Hawaii, the plumeria kicks in with the trades. The smells are almost as much of the surfing experience as the waves themselves. The Supertubes experience is no different, though inarguably far stinkier. There's a fish factory at the north end of the beach that pumps out the pungent odor of drying and decomposing fish bits and coats the lineup with a briny smoke. But a little stench is a small price to pay for the roundness of the beachbreak barrels. Make no mistake: Supertubes is one of the best waves in Europe. There's one main peak with a super-fast (though makable) left, and a somewhat shorter right, and one other peak down the beach that's not quite as perfect but still way better than your average day at Huntington Pier.

Pedra Branca Reef

To view live HD surf cams in Portugal near this spot, CLICK HERE. If you don't feel like battling the crowds or the urchins at one of Ericeira's reefbreaks, or the swell is pretty small, Foz can offer up fun, little peaks that are similar to any average California beachbreak -- some days good, some days bad, depending on the shifting sandbanks. There's a rivermouth at the south end that opens up in winter and can make a damn fine left in front of the rocks. Toward the middle of the beach, there are assorted peaks that pop up as the tide, which is pretty extreme in these parts, goes in and out. The scene on the beach is pretty classic, too, as this is the closest big stretch of sand to Ericiera. There's beach volleyball, kids jumping into the river, families sun tanning religiously and a bar right there, in case all that ogling and surfing renders you a little, well, parched. It's definitely not a bad place to while away a Sunday afternoon.