The sea went quiet this week. It started with a wind change on Monday, and by Wednesday the Atlantic had flattened like someone ironed it. The surf report kept pretending something might come in, but every morning it was the same still water, small ripples, nothing worth paddling for.
I stayed anyway. You learn a lot about a place when the reason you came stops working.
The village didn’t seem to care. Fishermen still dragged their boats out at sunrise, plastic crates clattering, radios playing softly from the docks. The bakery smelled of warm sugar by eight. Kids walked to school barefoot on the edge of the sand. Life carried on, just not the one I’d come for.
At first I did what every surfer does — complained to anyone who’d listen. Then I started to notice the rhythm of things. There’s a bar here run by an old couple who used to surf when the boards were heavier and wetsuits were optional. They told me about winters when the sea froze on the edges and summers when they’d get three perfect days and live off the memory for weeks. I liked that. The patience.
By Thursday I’d stopped checking the forecast every hour. I borrowed a bike from the hostel and rode along the cliffs. You can see the old lighthouse from there, rusted at the base, paint peeling. I sat for a while, looking out, nothing moving except gulls. The stillness made sense in its own way.
When the waves are flat you get your sense of scale back. You remember the sea isn’t here for your plans. It does what it wants. The locals know that. They plan their lives around it, not against it.
There’s a kind of calm in that acceptance. I’m learning it slowly. When the surf’s good again, it’ll feel earned. For now, I’m fine watching.
If you ever end up here in a flat week, don’t rush off. Stay. Drink coffee with the people who aren’t leaving. Walk the harbour, listen to the boats knocking against each other. There’s still movement, just not the kind you expected.
Location: Northern Portugal, mid-October 2025
Conditions: Atlantic high pressure, zero swell, offshore winds
Local detail: Fishermen launching daily from 6 a.m., average water temperature 18°C, main break dormant four consecutive days
Advice: Bring a wetsuit and a book. Both get used eventually.