São Jorge

São Jorge surf travel guide

Of the 46 fajas (30 on the north coast) only five are ever surfed regularly by the locals. There’s little need to explore further as there are more waves in a 3km stretch than the small population of locals can handle. Faja dos Cubres has been touted as Portugal’s longest wave yet it must be in close competition for the leg-burner crown with the Faja da Caldeira do Santo Cristo when it links up from the tip of Feiticeiras to the tail of Lago do Linho. These fajas work in all size swells and break with power over the boulders. One feature of the island’s geology means a SW wind may be 35km/h on the south coast but accelerates over the mid-island ridge and descends at almost double that speed on the north side. W-NW winds can follow the cliffs cross-shore and basically behave in an erratic way. Faja dos Vimes is the only regular south coast option when SW swells and N winds combine.