Praia da Bordeira.

Praia da Bordeira sits beneath the Carrapateira cliffs on Portugal's Costa Vicentina, one of the most swell-exposed stretches of the Atlantic-facing coast. The beach runs wide and open, with two distinct wave personalities split by the tide. At low water, a longer left unwinds along the base of the cliffs, imperfect but offering multiple sections. As the tide pushes through mid to high, the rivermouth end comes alive with fast, hollow rights that can surprise surfers expecting something softer. On smaller pulses the rivermouth troughs cause waves to back off and get slopey, but a solid NW swell brings out the best shape. The sand-and-reef floor produces everything from crumbly, forgiving peaks to steep, quick-draining walls. Being one of the most consistent swell magnets on the Algarve coast is a double-edged quality here - it also blows out easily, so easterly winds are essential. The car park above fills quickly and the walk down involves a decent set of steps. The rivermouth and cliff-base peak draw the bulk of the crowd, but the beach stretches far enough north that walking ten minutes thins the lineup considerably. Water quality near the estuary drops after heavy rain.