Organizations database

Ericeira Surf Clube

Ericeira Surf Clube (ESC) is a non-profit sports association founded in 1992. Its main objective is to promote and disseminate the organized practice of wave sports in the municipality of Mafra, namely in Ericeira, 50km north from Lisbon, bringing together more than 800 associates, among the which 18 athletes competing at WSL Open, Women and Junior Circuits and assiduous members of the Portuguese National Team, 5 international surf judges and 40 surf schools. ESC is currently organized into eight main departments:

• Administration.

• Surfing performance and sporting events.

• Training and certification (including ISA accreditation).

• Innovation.

• Education, Culture and Citizenship.

• International Cooperation and Collaboration Networks.

• Media and communication, and

• Environment.

Socially, ESC developed applications for training, education and sustainability projects, for all age groups. It is also involved as a strategic partner in the development of a new teaching methodology for the educational training of the 3rd degree. It is an active association being:

• Founder and guardian of the Ericeira World Surfing Reserve (1st World Surfing Reserve in Europe and 2nd in the world).

• Member of the executive board of Surf World Cities Network.

• Member of the Municipal Tourism Council and member of the Advisory Council of "Ericeira Business Factory".

• Member of the Ericeira World Surfing Reserve Council.

• Member of GAL (Local Action Group) Coastal.

• Thread for a doctoral thesis "Making Waves".

• Cultural surf promoter and strategy developer at Ericeira.

• Provider of medical support and therapist for its members and athletes.

• Participate in various meetings, debates and seminars on surfing and the environment

In competitive terms, ESC is the representative association of some of the Portuguese elite surfers who are currently some of the Portuguese National Champions and the Bi-Champion of the Portuguese Surfing Cup (please, check the figure below).

• In the field of sports training, in 1995 ESC founded the first Surf and Bodyboard school in Ericeira, under the guidance of renowned surf coaches, to promote nautical sports among young people, developing their skills and abilities to start in local competitions. Since then:

• Promotes "surf baptisms".

• Social initiatives among disadvantaged and vulnerable people with the “Surfing4All”, “Surf2Win”, “Surfing4Citizenship” or “Surfing4family” programmes.

• It has an inclusive and adapted surfing department.

Since ESC believes that it is possible to contribute to sport, the environment, social development and concerns, it organizes annually:

• Ericeira’s surf and bodyboard circuits.

• One stage of the Centro Surf Circuit - qualifies the best for the national finals.

• One stage of the national circuit of Bodyboard, Longboard.

• A Sub 18 National Surf Final - the current National Champion is an athlete of our Club.

• Portuguese Surfing Cup.

• Ericeira Paddle Trophy.

• The National Surfing Championship of Austria, as well as the National Surfing Championship of Afghanistan.

In addition, ESC:

• Promoted "Twins and Fins" - an international event that combines the culture of motorcycles and surfing.

• Organized the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the first National Surfing Championship and the 30th anniversary of the first World Surfing Championship in Ericeira.

• It is the organizer of the first SUP Downwind race that will take place in June 2020.

• Annual Awards and Diplomas Ceremony.

• Training for Judges and Surf Coaches.

Regarding the Environment and Sustainability, until 2009, the Environment area was created. Since then, he has organized and planned:

• Partnerships with national and international NGOs / companies in the area of Environment , such as Save the Surf (SOS); Association of Friends of the Bay of Coxos (AABC); Skeleton Sea, SimTejo and SurfRider Foundation.

• Ericeira World Surfing Reserve (EWSR) strategies for sustainability and the environment.

• Organizer of environmental explanation workshops for the masses.

• Annual cleaning of beaches and cliffs.

• Be part of the restricted team for the preservation of the World Surfing Reserve Area.

• Lead several topics related to environmental wellbeing in the Ericeira World Surf Reserve.

• An innovative research and project related to the circular economy.

• Promoting a study on the Load Capacity of the Beaches, elaborating several questionnaires, aligning the target audience and collecting the information.

• Supporting to several students on their thesis on the Surf and Ericeira World Surf Reserve.

Historically, Ericeira village was visited by members of the Portuguese and overseas royal family, monarchist and republican aristocrats - that built their vacation homes and were regarded as the first sunbathers of this village. On the other hand, the ancient population of Ericeira lived almost exclusively from the sea, speaking differently from the neighbouring villages. As so, they were inhabited by an ethnic group called ‘Jagoz’.

This village is an immeasurable window to the sea by being a world class surf zone encompassing approximately 8 km of coastline. It contains a high density of outstanding surf breaks and a unique coastline which is defined by rocky cliffs punctuated with unique beautiful little bays and secluded beaches and its waters are some of the richest in biodiversity in the world. Regular Upwelling mixes a tremendous amount of rich nutrients on a regular basis.

Portugal has around one thousand marine species and commercially fishes’ sardine, tuna and Atlantic mackerel. All the vegetation available is crucial to maintain the sandy substrate of the cliffs and water retention, diminishing the erosion and contributing to the ecosystem balance.

All these characteristics potentialized the diversity of waves in the area - along with their various degrees of difficulty, and offering consistent opportunities for all levels of surfers, from beginners to professionals. These´ characteristics and some others were crucial for the Save the Waves Coalition to reward Ericeira village with the statute of World Surfing Reserve (please, check the images below) the year 2011. It was the 1sr World Surfing Reserve in Europe and the 2nd one in the World (the 1st one was Malibu, in the United States of America).