While Ribeira Brava, set among verdant banana plantations, is gradually approaching resort status along the unspoilt western coastline, Jardim do Mar and Paúl do Mar have a growing surf culture, while Calheta can boast an artificial sandy beach and a brand-new marina. Inland there are superb walks around the wooded valleys of Rabaçal.
Madeira was discovered as a surfing destination by intrepid Portuguese and Brazilian surfers during the 1990s, and now hosts an annual leg of the World Surfing Championships, usually in January or February in Jardim do Mar.
A European surfing competition takes place in Paúl do Mar in September, though you need great expertise to participate. Madeira’s deep Atlantic waters supply superb breakers, and the main attraction is the challenge of the big riders – three metre- high waves which crash onto the basalt rock of the sea bed; extreme care and skill is required.
As yet, there is no surfing association and there are no surf shops on Madeira, either, so surfers are advised to take their own board repair kits.
