Ericeira Surf Clube

Ericeira Surf Clube is a non-profit sports club, set up by a founding committee in 1992 and formally constituted on 23 September 1993. In 1995 it opened the first surf and bodyboard school in Ericeira, which is still running and is certified by the Portuguese Surfing Federation. The club says it played an active part in creating the Ericeira World Surf Reserve in 2011, and it has been one of the reserve’s official guardians since then.

It runs as a club for local surfers, and much of its effort goes into training young athletes. In May 2026 seven of its surfers and bodyboarders received sporting merit grants from Mafra council, the most of any sport. For a visiting family, the part that matters is the summer camp.

Every summer the club opens a day camp for children and teenagers aged 6 to 16. In 2026 it ran through June, July, August and September, Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 17:00, based at Ribeira d’Ilhas beach just north of Ericeira.

The programme mixes surfing with bodyboarding, stand-up paddleboarding (SUP), skateboarding, padel and mini golf, plus outings and recycling workshops. A child who tires of the waves still has plenty to do, and one who has never been on a board gets to try several kinds before deciding which they like.

Because it covers a full working day, the camp fits what many parents need during the long Portuguese school holidays. Meals aren’t included, so pack lunch and snacks every day. The club doesn’t publish camp prices online; ask when you register, along with how children are grouped by age and ability, what the staff ratio is, and how drop-off and collection work.

The rules for the club’s surf school (which the camp page doesn’t repeat, so ask whether they apply in summer) commit it to put surfing first (surf, bodyboard, bodysurf and SUP) and to switch to other activities when the weather or the waves make surfing impossible. Outdoors that means skating, fitness training, coastal walks and beach games. Indoors it means video analysis and what the club calls ocean literacy: reading tide tables, understanding sea conditions such as rip currents and channels, reading weather forecasts, and learning about coastal wildlife. That’s useful for any child who will spend time on Portuguese beaches.

The same rules say coaches are responsible for pupils’ safety from when they arrive at the school until they leave, walk with them between the school and the beach, and hand out the right kit to each child. The club provides boards and wetsuits. Children are expected to help carry the kit, rinse it in fresh water after each session, and wear a swimsuit under the wetsuit. The rules also promise specialised support for people with disabilities; ask the club what that looks like for your child.

Ribeira d’Ilhas is a surf beach below the cliffs just north of Ericeira town. The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) lists it as lifeguarded, with a first-aid post, toilets, showers and parking, and as part of the accessible beach scheme with an amphibious chair. Its 2026 bathing season ran from 13 June to 13 September, it holds a Blue Flag for 2026, and the APA rated the water excellent for the previous season. The APA also flags a risk of rockfall from the cliffs, so keep children away from the cliff foot. There’s more on the beach itself on our page for Praia de Ribeira d’Ilhas.

Ericeira sits in a World Surf Reserve, and the Atlantic here is powerful. Ask the club whether your child needs to be a confident swimmer before you book.

Outside the summer the club runs a training school aimed mainly at young people from the Mafra area aged 8 to 18. There are two ways to join. Monthly training has fixed class days: when checked in September 2026 it cost €45 a month for one class a week or €80 for two, with a six-month commitment. Packs of classes are booked ahead and depend on conditions: members paid €100 for five or €150 for ten, and non-members €150 or €250. A single group class cost €35 for members and €40 for non-members.

All pupils must be club members (a €5 joining fee in the first year and €15 a year) and register with the Portuguese Surfing Federation (€15), which includes sports insurance. Monthly fees are due by the 8th of each month. Children can make up one missed class a month, and packs must be used within six months. This suits families who live nearby and want a child to keep going after camp.

Other schools in Ericeira teach children too. The Tiago Pires Surf School runs two-hour kids’ group lessons for ages 6 to 12 at Matadouro beach, €50 when checked; its summer camp is at Fonte da Telha, south of Lisbon (our page on the Tiago Pires kids’ camp). After the beach, the Boardriders skatepark in Ericeira is good for children who caught the board bug, and the Ericeira municipal pools are there for a day when the sea is too rough.

What ages is the Ericeira summer surf camp for?

Children and teenagers aged 6 to 16.

What are the camp hours?

Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00, from June to September.

How much does the camp cost?

The club doesn’t publish prices online. Ask when you register by form, phone (+351 934 886 259) or email.

Is lunch included?

No. Meals are not included, so send a packed lunch and snacks.

What happens if there are no waves?

The club switches to skating, beach games, coastal walks or indoor sessions on tides, currents and marine life.