About Madeira Surf

Who we are

The site is written by Madeira Surf editorial, a small group, not a named coach. A named Madeira-based author, a certified surf coach or a federation-registered instructor, is being recruited; until that person is on the page, the site claims no sessions it has not surfed.

Every figure on a page is taken from the school's own page or an official source and carries the date it was read. The same editorial group covers boats, jeeps, diving, biking, fishing, and wine touring across the island.

Why this exists

Most Madeira surf content is either outdated (Jardim do Mar pre-seawall) or beginner-only (no honest take on advanced point-break access). And most school listings are commission-ranked, not quality-ranked.

A first-time surf trip to Porto da Cruz with the right school is one of the easier "I caught a wave!" experiences in surfing. The same trip booked at the wrong school in winter swell is a cold flailing miserable day. We tell you which is which.

How we work

• Coverage across skill tiers - beginner (Porto da Cruz, Machico), intermediate (Fajã da Areia, Ponta Pequena), advanced (Jardim, Paul) - compared on what schools publish: lesson format, group ratio, equipment, package length and price, read on the date shown on the page.
• Conditions cross-checked against Windguru, Windy, Surfline and the IPMA marine bulletin, plus the local surf-forecast groups.
• Spots we cannot stand behind are labelled, not quietly listed. If we cannot confirm a place holds a rideable wave often enough to send you there, it carries an unverified flag until a local surfer signs off.
• Prices re-read from school websites. The last-verified date on every spot, school, and price page says when each price was read.
• We never accept hosted sessions without disclosing them.

How we make money

We earn affiliate commission when you book through GetYourGuide or Viator links on this site. The commission is paid by the platform, not by you - your price is identical whether you click through us or go direct. We disclose this on every page that contains affiliate links.

For private group lessons, surf camp packages, or advanced spot guiding, contact us via WhatsApp. We don't sell ad placements, accept comped lessons for placement, or rank schools by commission rate.

Trust + accuracy

Every spot, school, and guide page shows a "Last verified" date and the verifying author. If you find something out of date - pricing changed, school closed, link broken - we want to know.

Message us on WhatsApp; the site has no mailbox. A correction with a source is applied on the page and the verified date updated.