I saw a flyer at the Lisbon airport for Lisbon surf tours and decided to check out the 6 hour surf…read moreday tour with my bf. It was easy to contact them via their website just two nights before our desired date. 55 euros each paid for transfers from and to our hotel in Lisbon, surf lesson, surf equipment (surfboard & wetsuit), insurance, and drinks/fruits/snacks.
Carlos was late to pick us up because my bf neglected to give him the address, and he went to the wrong hotel. Oops. So please make sure you provide the full address to avoid any confusion, folks!
There were 6 of us in the class, and Carlos took us to the Angels surf school in Praia de Carcavelos (Carcavelos Beach) in Cascais to catch some waves. We were a bit nervous about the weather because it had just been pouring the previous day, but we lucked out with sunshine that day.
Carlos was an awesome instructor and explained the basics of how to stand up on the board. We practiced our pop up technique on the beach for bit before heading to the water. It was chilly at first, but then with all the exertion and our wetsuits, I no longer felt the chill at all.
Along with an assistant, the two of them went out to the water, and our only job was to reach them from the shore. Once we got there, we got on the surfboard and they turned us around and gave us a push, so all we had to do was stand up and ride the wave in!
On my 2nd attempt, I caught a really nice wave and rode it almost all the way to shore. Woo-hoo!! What an awesome feeling. :) But that was pretty much my only success for the day. :/ After that, the waves kept pummeling me, and I was completely wrecked with exhaustion.
We got a nice long break in the afternoon to rest on the lounge chairs and get some lunch at one of the restaurants on the beach. There was also a cooler filled with water, energy drinks, and bananas for us. We also got to enjoy some nice white wine, too!
For the afternoon session, our goal was to try to surf by ourselves without any assistance. Unfortunately, I didn't do so well and finally had to give up because I was too tired from getting beat up from all the waves. I think the waves were a bit big for beginners that day, too.
All-in-all, I would say that surfing is tough work, but totally fun. Lisbon Surf Tours did a great job for my first-ever surf lesson, and we had an awesome day at the beach. :)