Madeira Island Magazine - November / December 2020

Atividades de mar | Sea Activities
Surf ing
Madeira’s Waves
Madeira é um destino
A entusiasmante para os
apreciadores e amantaes
de surf. Na Madeira existem vários
atrativos para a prática de surf.
Além dos famosos “point breaks”,
a ondulação média é de 2 metros,
com elevada frequência ao longo
do ano e as paisagens vulcânicas
ao redor das praias são de uma
beleza impressionante. As ondas são
especialmente “uncrowded” e nas
praias existem canais de circulação
para facilitar o “line up” dos surfistas.
A época alta do surf situa-se entre
setembro e maio, sendo os meses de
excelência, de novembro a janeiro.
O clima é ameno, a temperatura da
água do mar oscila entre os 18º e os
24º C, o que significa que é possível
surfar praticamente todos os dias do
ano!
Na Ilha da Madeira os spots de
surf são de classe mundial. Surfistas
internacionais chegaram a apontá-la
como o Havai do Atlântico e e na Ilha
do Porto Santo com as suas praias
de areia dourada e macia as ondas
são local de eleição para os surfistas
iniciantes.
ach winter, Madeira’s rugged
E west shore serves up some
of the largest and imposing
ocean waves on the planet. Giant,
storm-generated swells make their long
trek across the Atlantic to batter reef
breaks and the area’s shoreline. For
many Island residents, this means only
one thing: Surf’s up!
Surfing is a surface water sport
in which the participant is carried
along the face of a breaking wave,
most commonly using a surfboard,
although wave-riders may make use
of kneeboards, body boards (aqua
boogie boards), kayaks, surf skis,
and their own bodies. Surfing-related
sports such as paddle boarding and
sea kayaking do not require waves, and
Conheçam as praias mais procuradas
no Arquipélago da Madeira, o
verdadeiro paraíso na Europa:
Nível de dificuldade: iniciante /
intermédio
Madeira: Praia de Machico,
Praia da Lagoa, Praia da Maiata.
Porto Santo: Praia do Cabeço e Cais
Nível de dificuldade: intermédio /
avançado
Madeira: Fajã da areia, Achadas
da Cruz, Praia do Seixal,
Lugar de Baixo, Cabo Girão.
Porto Santo: Praia do Matador, Praia da
Serra de Dentro .
Nível de dificuldade: avançado / expert
Madeira: Jardim do Mar, Paul do Mar,
Ponta pequena, Ribeira da janela,
Contreiras .
other derivative sports such as kite surfing
and windsurfing rely primarily on wind for
power, yet all of these tools may as well be
used to ride waves.
The exact origin of surfing is unknown,
but most historians believe that the
Polynesians were already well versed in
the sport by the time they migrated to the
Hawaiian Islands some 2,000 years ago.
Early Hawaiians called surfing “he‘e nalu,”
which literally translates to “wave sliding.”
During this time, only high-ranking “wave
sliders” had access to the best surf spots.
King Kamehameha III himself was said to
be an avid and skilled surfer.
Surfing really took off in the early
1900s. Riding boards made mostly from
hewn redwood and balsa wood, early
surfers risked their lives to take on these
giant waves.
Today, thanks to a number of modern
innovations and inventions, the surfing
population on the west side of the island
has been steadily increasing. Wave
riders and spectators gather here from
November to February, hoping to catch
that perfect wave. Although winter in
Madeira may not be the best time and
place to learn how to surf (the summer
months provide safer, saner conditions),
Madeira is still an uncrowded surf
destination. Respect the locals, and you’ll
enjoy the rides of a lifetime.
Ask any surfer, and he or she will tell
you that surfing is an exhilarating thrill,
a natural high, the sensation of riding a
wave and the challenge of facing every
wave is different.
26 Madeira Island Magazine | Novembro - Dezembro 2020