Baleal at the North end of Peniche Peninsula is the surfing magnet of the district.
Baleal, which was once an island too, owes its name to having formerly been a centre where whales (“Baleia”, in Portuguese) were butchered and cut in the Middle Ages. The whale meat was then hauled to Atouguia da Baleia harbour. This was a result of the fact that the bay extending from Atouguia da Baleia down to Peniche started getting progressively blocked up with silt during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, preventing whaling ships from coming into the harbour with the whales in tow.
"Boats Beach" fisherman's shelter in Baleal.
This beach, which is about 5 km north of Peniche, is one of Portugal’s most stunning beaches and is uniquely positioned from a geographical perspective, offering ideal conditions for both beginners surf lessons and good options for experienced surfers with several surf spots just a few hundred meters apart.
Baleal Surf Camp opened its doors here in 1993. Taking advantage of the perfect location for surf classes our surf school based exactly on the best surf spot in the whole Peninsula. Later nearly all the surf camps based in Peniche established themselves in Baleal making obvious the area's surf potential and transforming it in todays Peniche's surfing centre.