Surf spot guide · São Jorge - Azores, Portugal
Boulder-bottom left-hander on the outer edge of Faja da Caldeira do Santo Cristo, linking long walls across a wide W-N swell window.
On Sao Jorge, Esquerda da Igreja (the Left of the Church) is a left-hander breaking over boulders from the outer peak at Faja da Caldeira do Santo Cristo. The wave picks up the full W-N swell window and uncoils into long, slopey walls with steep sections pushing through cutback shoulders and occasional cover-ups in offshores. On its best days the left links with Lago do Linho for a marathon ride - one of the longer waves in the Azores. The boulder bottom is consistent throughout; heavy currents and a shifting line-up develop at size. Barrels are rare but happen in clean offshore conditions. Access from the Faja dos Cubres car park takes around 40 minutes on foot along the cliff base track, or 10 minutes by the local quad bike taxi. Several distinct breaks sit within a kilometre - Feiticeiras, Lago do Linho and Direita do Passe - giving options by swell direction. Crowds are rare; most sessions see a small crew of visiting surfers with plenty of room on the peak.
You’re seeing the next 3 days. A free account opens all 14, which is the difference between checking tomorrow and planning a trip.
Crowds are rare throughout the year. The remote access filters out casual visitors, and most sessions are shared with a small crew of dedicated local and visiting surfers.
Remote Azorean boulder left
São Jorge - Azores
Intense boulder-break peak at the NW tip of Faja dos Sto Cristo - fast, hollow rights to 200m and a shorter left, from knee-high to XXL.
São Jorge - Azores
Remote left pointbreak over a boulder bottom on Sao Jorge, with rides of 500m-plus down the side of Faja da Caldeira do Santo Cristo.
São Jorge - Azores
Hollow righthand point break over boulders at the lagoon entrance of Faja da Caldeira do Santo Cristo, reachable only by a 40-minute hike.
+4 MORE →Wear booties - the boulder bottom is rough on bare feet at all tides
Book the quad bike taxi from Faja dos Cubres to save the 40-minute cliff walk each way
Check Feiticeiras and Lago do Linho on the same paddle if the swell is up - all three are within a kilometre
SW winds are offshore here so time sessions around morning wind windows
The wave handles onshore winds better than most boulder breaks if conditions deteriorate
HAZARDS · KNOW BEFORE YOU PADDLE
All breaks at Santo Cristo are at least 40 minutes walk from the car park at Faja dos Cubres. A local quad bike taxi service covers the same distance in around 10 minutes. A single track skirts the foot of the cliffs and leads you to the village and the breaks.
Open in Maps