Premium Surf Camp for Teens in Santa Cruz, Portugal

Course Description: Premium Surf Camp for Teens in Santa Cruz, Portugal

🎓 Course Overview

This two-week surf camp on Portugal's west coast is designed for teenagers aged 13–17, from complete beginners to confident surfers. The Santa Cruz coastline is a well-known surf destination, close to Nazaré, home of international surf competitions and the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed.

Campers surf for about three hours a day, Monday to Friday, and spend the rest of the day on shared afternoon and evening activities with the camp's adventure programme, plus weekend excursions to Lisbon, Óbidos and the coast.

📚 Academic Content

Surf Lessons

Lessons are delivered with a local surf school that has more than a decade of specialist experience in the Santa Cruz area. Sessions average about three hours a day from Monday to Friday (roughly 15 hours a week), with locations and times chosen around the tides, sea conditions and sandbar positions, so the timetable is flexible.

All Levels Welcome

The programme suits beginners through to advanced surfers. The main beach is a 15-minute walk from camp, and around 20 beaches within a short drive give the coaches plenty of options to match conditions to each group's level.

Equipment & Supervision

A surfboard, wetsuit and rash guard are provided. Trained counsellors work as a team under an experienced programme coordinator who oversees safety, equipment and clothing, supported by fully qualified local specialist staff.

📍 Campus & Location

The camp is in Santa Cruz, a seaside town on Portugal's Atlantic coast. The residence is about a 15-minute walk from the main beach and the town centre, and around 20 beaches lie within a short drive. Nazaré, famous for its giant waves and international surf competitions, is nearby, and the Óbidos Lagoon is a short drive away.

The residence has a large private swimming pool, a games court, two activity rooms, common rooms, dining rooms and grassed gardens. In and around Santa Cruz there are beaches and beach-volleyball courts, shops, cafés and museums, as well as hiking, mountain-biking and adventure trails, forest areas, a watersports centre and activity centres.

🏫 Accommodation & Meals

Campers stay at the Pousada da Juventude in Santa Cruz, in a recently built residence building reserved exclusively for the camp. Spacious apartments sleep four to six campers and have full en-suite bathroom facilities. Bed linen is provided.

Three meals are served every day, with a fresh salad bar at every meal and second helpings available; breakfast includes cereals, pastries and fruit, and some excursions include a packed lunch. Special diets can usually be accommodated if arranged in advance.

🚌 Excursions & Activities

Surf campers often share beach days with the adventure programme, and the residence pool and sports courts are available for afternoon activities.

Saturdays are excursion days. Highlights include a day trip to Lisbon with sightseeing, the Oceanarium and an interactive science museum; a visit to the walled medieval town of Óbidos, a UNESCO-protected site; picnics and water sports at the Óbidos Lagoon; and a catamaran sailing trip to watch the Sado dolphins. Admission fees for places of interest are included. Sunday starts with a late wake-up and a relaxed morning.

Afternoons and evenings bring a range of activities in camp and outdoors, shared with campers from the other programme and organised and supervised by counsellors.

⏰ A Day in the Life

A sample weekday (subject to change):

• 07:30 — Activity: Wake up

• 08:00 — Activity: Breakfast

• 09:00 — Activity: Period A – speciality programme (surf and beach sessions are timed around the tides)

• 10:45 — Activity: Period B – speciality programme

• 12:15 — Activity: Lunch

• 13:30 — Activity: All-camp meeting

• 14:00 — Activity: Period C – sign-up activities

• 15:45 — Activity: Period D – sign-up activities

• 17:15 — Activity: Free time

• 18:15 — Activity: Dinner

• 19:30 — Activity: Evening programme

• 22:30 — Activity: Lights out for ages 13–14 (23:00 for ages 15 and over)

Saturday is excursion day; Sunday begins with a late wake-up and a relaxed morning.

2027 Dates & Fees 📅

This is a residential camp. Each session runs for two weeks, from Sunday to Saturday. Campers arrive between 10:00 and 16:00 on the first day and are collected before 12:00 on the last day. Fees are quoted in euros (EUR).

• Sunday 4 July – Saturday 17 July — Length: 2 weeks — Residential: €3,800

• Sunday 18 July – Saturday 31 July — Length: 2 weeks — Residential: €3,800

Optional extras: accident and illness insurance (€130 per child per two-week session; if declined, families must give their own policy details on the health form), escorted transfers from Lisbon Airport (available for an additional fee), and early arrival or late departure nights by prior arrangement (€150 per child per night; not available before the first or after the last session).

Payment: a deposit of €800 per booking is due within 48 hours of booking, and the balance is due by 1 May 2027 (it can be paid in instalments before then). Bookings made after 1 May 2027 must be paid in full within 48 hours. If a family cancels before 1 May the deposit is forfeited; from 1 to 31 May, 50% of the total paid is charged; and from 1 June, 100% is charged. No refund is given for late arrival or early departure.

✔️ What's Included

Two weeks of residential camp: shared en-suite accommodation with bed linen, all meals, the morning speciality programme (about 15 hours of surf lessons per week with surfboard, wetsuit and rash guard), afternoon sign-up activities and the evening programme, weekend excursions with admission fees to places of interest, 24/7 supervision by counsellors and basic first-aid care from the on-site health team.

Not included: travel to and from camp, escorted transfers, accident and illness insurance, early arrival or late departure nights, and pocket money (around €150–250 is recommended for a two-week session, depending on age, and is deposited in the camp bank on arrival). Medical care beyond basic first aid is at the family's expense unless the optional insurance is taken.

🛡️ Safety & Welfare

There is an average ratio of one counsellor to six campers on each site; counting managers, nurses and other support staff, the overall adult-to-camper ratio can be as generous as 1:4. Residential counsellors are at least 21 years old (most are 21–35), come from many countries and all speak English. They are selected through interviews and reference checks, complete pre-camp training and are required to hold full CPR and first-aid certification. Experienced management teams run each site.

Full-time health care specialists are based on site, with nurses available 24 hours a day; they hold and dispense all medication and liaise with local doctors and hospitals, and parents are called at the first opportunity if a child is ill or injured. Mobile phones and tablets are handed in and returned once a day during free time (parents are encouraged to call between about 16:30 and 18:00). On excursions, campers aged 12 and under are always with a counsellor, while those aged 13 and over may explore in groups of at least three, carry emergency contact numbers and check in at meeting points at least every 90 minutes; parents of older campers can ask in writing for constant counsellor accompaniment. Passports and pocket money are kept securely in the camp office, and smoking, alcohol and drugs are strictly prohibited.

💡 Who This Programme Is For

This camp suits active 13–17-year-olds who want to learn to surf or improve their surfing in a supportive group, whether they have never stood on a board or already surf regularly. It is a great fit for teenagers who love the ocean and the outdoors and want an international summer with peers from around the world. Campers should be comfortable in the water; the provider does not publish a formal swimming test for this programme, so families may wish to confirm requirements when booking.

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