Arrifana, the most popular beach for a reason. Perfect timing with Surf Guide Algarve
As mentioned before, the surf in Arrifana can be amazing at times. Located on the west coast, yet protected from the dominant strong North wind. Sandy, half moon shape beach, the setup of this beach is just perfect. In truth, there is no surf spot in the region so consistent as Arrifana. For this reason Arrifana houses a lot of surfschools. In the second place there is all the free surfers. Someone hires a board in Lagos, inquires where to go, and ends up taking a 45 min drive up to the west coast. Given these points, this spot gets super busy. Beginners, learners, professionals and straight up kooks. No surprise it is not the Surf Guide Algarve go-to spot. However, no reason to write it off completely. Today is the perfect day for a quick *early visit. And man-it was worth it.
Long time no sea!
Even when you surf Arrifana in the middle of the night there will be other people. We rock up quite early, just to beat the most crowds. Waves rolling in, the sun is gaining strength, almost forgot how beautiful this place is. While we get changed into our wetsuits we already meet some friends. Long time no sea!
One to remember
The vibe in the water is mellow, the waves are fun. Sharing nice size long running green walls with some friends, can it get any better? Surprisingly, it does. As we are waiting for another set we see a small pot of dolphins cruising trough the bay, really close where we are sitting on our surfboards.
Eventually I get a good left hander and decide it is time to shoot a few photos, instead of waiting for ever for that famous last wave. At this point it is pretty busy. One thing catches my eye, there is a dude in a wheelchair with those big inflatable tires. Whats more, he is wearing a wetsuit. The dude seems to be immobile, but that does not mean he wont surf! With a bit of help from a just-as-dedicated friend/coach? He manages to get out and a few minutes later I see him going down the line a beautiful wave. Now That is inspiring.
