Judging by recent events, surfing in Portugal has never been better.
The Portuguese team recently won at the European Surfing Championships in Bundoran, Ireland and now it’s official: Ericeira has been officially recognized as a World Surfing Reserve.
Ericeira is the only World Surfing Reserve in Europe. In fact, it is one of only two dedicated World Surfing Reserves on the planet, the other being Malibu, California in the United States. But don’t worry, Ericeira and Malibu won’t be lonely for long as Manly Beach, Australia and Santa Cruz, California will also soon be named WSRs.
Besides being a top honor in the surf scene, Ericeira’s new status as a WSR has environmental, economic and cultural significance.
From the Portuguese American Journal:
The formal recognition of the value of the Ericeira surfing coastline from Portuguese dignitaries is directly in line with the goals of World Surfing Reserves. This awareness must then be met with the long-term commitment to coastal and marine protection and the active stewardship of Ericeira’s remarkable surfing resources.
–Will Henry, founder of Save The Waves and member of the World Surfing Reserves Vision Council
photo by zoë_alexandra (Flickr CC)
The ceremony in Ericeira, Portugal took place on October 14th on the beach of Ribeira d’Ilhas, a world famous surf spot.
From a press release on the World Surfing Reserves website:
The Ericeira area of Portugal is a treasure for Portuguese and international surfers alike. The dedicated Ericeira surf zone consists of 4 km (2.5 miles) of coastline, containing seven quality surf breaks, including Pedra Branca, Reef, Ribeira d’Ilhas, Cave, Crazy Left, Coxos and São Lourenço.“I fell in love with this area when I first came here in the 1980s,” said Will Henry, founder of Save The Waves Coalition. “This is a magical place, and this designation provides a great conservation tool to better protect it.”
Congratulations Ericeira, Portugal – European surfing capital and elite surfing destination of the world!
