I was 11 years old when I started surfing. Naturally, surf shaped my life. A passion for the sea and its waves were to play a big role in my destiny.

It all began in the summer of 1993 when I believed that I could bring my surfing experience to bear on guiding children at Baleal Island through their “first steps” on top of a surf board.

I soon realised that in addition to a knack for teaching, I could actually make a living out of it and thus remain linked to the ocean. Even better: this allowed me to leave Lisbon and to move to Baleal, right by the beach.

Our school started in a small caravan park next to the beach, where we were teaching surf and renting surf gear.


Escola de Surf do Baleal  em 1993

We soon grew and had a small wooden facility built for the purpose where we operated until 1997, when we tendered successfully for a permanent facility at the Baleal Camping Park beach. We then set up our bar and our surfing school in a new wooden structure.

Today, Baleal Surf Camp is a highly professional facility. We have developed a network of agents spread all over Europe and feature a beach bar that is unique in Portugal.

Nevertheless, our main goal remains one and the same – as always, to teach people to surf in safety while having lots of fun, and thereby to fully enjoy nature and its healthy energy.

Bruno Bairros