Surfing Praia do Zavial

The beach faces south-south-west, yet its best days come from big, long-period north-west swells in winter, which wrap around Cabo de São Vicente and Sagres and arrive cleaner and more organised. Southerly swells also reach it directly, and in summer small south-easterly pulses give easy waves on the beach. The prevailing north wind blows offshore here, which is why Zavial can be perfect while the west coast is a mess.

The main wave is the right at the western end: a steep, wedgy takeoff close to the rocks, then a fast barrel section over a shallow, rocky bottom, best on a dropping tide towards low. It is heavy, harder than it looks and quite localised, so it suits experienced surfers only. The beach break across the sand handles swells of 0.6–1.5 m (2–5 ft) and suits intermediates and improvers, but at full low tide it dumps hard, so mid tide is safer. Rips build near the rocks as the swell grows.

Zavial faces south-south-west, so for much of the day the sun sits over the sea. The trick is to shoot the right from the sand at the western end: you look west towards the peak, so in the morning the sun is behind you and lights the wave from the side and front. By mid-afternoon the sun swings round in front of you and the right turns into a backlit silhouette, with glare off the water.

From the western end of the beach the takeoff is roughly 100–250 metres away, so 200–400 mm works; from the middle of the beach, go up to 600 mm. On big days stay well back from the rocks, where sets can surge up unexpectedly. The water is not a place to swim with a housing when the right is breaking, because of the rocks, the rips and a crowded takeoff zone. The shot here is a clean winter barrel with the cliffs behind.

Zavial is about 20 minutes' drive from both Sagres and Lagos: take the N125 to Raposeira, then follow the signs south for about 3 km to a free car park at beach level, with a wooden walkway onto the sand. In summer the car park fills by mid-morning. A seasonal restaurant sits behind the beach and lifeguards cover the summer season. At low tide you can explore a cave at the eastern end.