Praia da Vigia is the beach next to São Julião, located just a few hundred meters from the main peaks of São Julião (where most surfers go and where the crowds are). Sheltered by surrounding cliffs, it feels more lonely and wild than other nearby spots and is often overlooked by visiting surfers.
While not a high-performance wave, Praia da Vigia is valued for its calm environment and relative consistency. If São Julião is working, probably Vigia is too.
Description of Praia da Vigia
Praia da Vigia is a sandy beach break that produces lefts and rights. This beach is just the south part of the São Julião beach, but it has a different name because they are physically separated by the the water during high tides. You can almost see Vigia and check if it has waves from the bar on top of the cliff at São Julião.
The main wave is located just in front of the main parking on top of the cliff (where some caravans and campervans spend the night), breaking over a rock reef covered by sand. This wave produces a nice right that can be ridden for a few meters.
There are also lefts and rights coming if you move a bit more to the middle of the bay.
It works best on small to medium swells and around mid tide. Larger swells make the spot easily unsurfable.
Is a great spot to spend a summer day away from the crowds surfing, and when there are no waves, relaxing on the sand.
This beach is a naturist beach, so you may find naked people enjoying their day if you visit it in summer months. If you are both a surfer and a naturist, you will like it there.
Crowds
Praia da Vigia is typically uncrowded due to its limited access. Most days, you’ll find only a handful of surfers in the water, if any.
You may find some surfers that have chosen to move to Vigia if the neighbour spot of São julião is too crowded and is working.
Access and services
Access to Praia da Vigia is more restricted compared to neighbouring beaches. During low tide, Vigia and São Julião are connected and you can walk from one to another, but on high tide the only way down is climbing down the cliff from the unpaved parking on top of it, which can be a bit tricky with the surfboards and equipment. Be careful.
There are no facilities at the beach itself. You need to go to São Julião beach for a bar and restaurant with surf board rental service.
