Gaia Canidelo / Porto / Portugal

Not a million miles away from the town of Porto in North East Portugal lies the beach of Gaia Canidelo. It is a good spot for surfers of all types of intermediate to expert ability since there are some large and harardous rocks in the vicinity. The season is from March to September although off season is possible.

The beach is medium sized with lovely fine white sand and there is plenty of space to lay out your gear with the side nearest the pier having the most space. The north side has perfect waves but you need to take care of the rocks that are in the water. You can get here from Porto by driving to the Arrabida bridge and exiting at Devesas. Head for the Hotel Casa Branca and then turn left along the side of the beach until you get to the big beach with a pier.

The wind comes mainly from the north (nortada) and is pretty constant from September to April. The summer winds are often from the south and tend to be much lighter. The water quality is clean with some nice waves which are good in formation but close to the beach. Any tide works well here but high tide is the best. The only trouble is that you won't see the big rock in the water which is exposed at low tide, but if you ask the locals they will point it out to you. The water temperature ranges from 13 degrees in the winter to 19 in the summer and the air temperature varies from 10 degrees in the winter to 30 degrees in the summer. You'll only need a pair of shorts in the summer but come the winter months and you will need to suit up accordingly.

There is parking here and toilet facilities. There are also a few small bars where you can grab a bite to eat. For supplies and night life, head into Porto which has everything that you could need.

Watch out for rocks in the water and swimmers in the sea in the summer months.