If you’re a surfer and you’re thinking of spending some time in the area between Aljezur and Vila do Bispo on the south-west coast of Portugal, you are a wise person. It’s a great place and as far as I can tell, it seems pretty decent for surfing. Then again, I’m no expert.
However, one thing I would say to all those people is ‘leave me alone’. I’m not a surfer, but I had a go at bodyboarding and while I was out there, surfers followed me incessantly.
For those that don’t know, bodyboarding is surfing without the difficulty or the kudos. You catch the waves just the same, only you don’t stand up, you just sort of lie on your board. It’s good value, because it’s easier to get out to where the big, cool waves are and you also get more than three seconds of fun before the sea flips you over and stuffs you head-first into the frothing surf. In fact, a complete novice like me can easily catch a wave and speed into shore at a rate of knots.
As a complete novice, I tried to stay away from everyone else. Unfortunately, surfers are such a sheeplike lot that if they see you bobbing around separate from everyone else, they think you have secret knowledge about the waves and head over towards you. You then head in the exact opposite direction and they follow you again. You’re like a pied piper of muscled, sun-tanned dudes.
The surfers need a leader. I don’t want to be that leader.