Today we met Julien Marmelo, a Portuguese guy born in France, that came and gained roots in Portugal, founding his surfing-dedicated company called Waves Finder. We got him between surf trips and surf lessons and had the opportunity to ask him some questions:
Some people say that they won’t try to surf because it seems to be dangerous. Is this true?
Actually, it is funny, because when I was doing the level two Surf instructor certification, the formers were talking about the fact that Surfing is one of the most safest sport in the world. it is true that sometimes the injuries can be severe, but it is way more rare than any other sports like football, tennis, rugby, gym, etc
So to conclude your question, Surfing is definitely not a dangerous sport.
We saw on your website that you do surf trips. How long do these surf trips last and what do you offer with them?
We do organize surf trips in all the Portuguese coast. The duration of the Surf trips depends on the availability of the people. It can be entirely customized by the clients. We will always advise the best itinerary depending the season of the booking. we usually include in the package, accommodation, transportation, Surf lessons or surf coaching, video analysis, breakfast, dinners and insurance.
Is there a surf etiquette?
Yes, there is a surf etiquette you need to respect. We are not talking about rules over here, but we are more talking about the code of behaviour. It is very important that people get to know the Surfing etiquette before getting in the water.
This code of behaviour is created for everyone to Surf safely and have fun.
Of course, if you do not respect the rules on purpose, like dropping in or sneaking in, you might have a situation with locals, it’s pure surfing.
It happens to do mistakes, just apologize and make sure you do not do the same mistake again.
On your opinion, how important it is, for any surfer, to read the weather forecast before going to surf?
All my Surf friends that I know, including myself, watch the forecast at least once a day (I might do at least 5 times a day 😅).
It is important to know how the conditions are, especially if you do not know the area where you’re Surfing. You need to make sure that you have the capacity to get inside the water, depending the conditions, Safety first!
Then some spots works in a specific condition, that’s why me and my friends check several times the forecast
On your opinion, how important can be a surf coach?
Having a surf coach will always be benefit for you. If you do have a Surf coach that does his job properly, he will help you out to understand how the surf spot works, how to improve your Surfing in a long-term way, how to read the Ocean, The Surfing rules, where to be in the Surf spot, during, low, mid or high tide, where is the channel to help you out to get to the lineup, etc.
If you have not some experience in Surfing, and you do not have a Surf coach with you, sometimes, unfortunately you can put yourself in a bad situation
What are the advantages of coming to Portugal to surf? How prepared do you think Ericeira is to welcome surfers around the world?
Portugal is one of the best country in the world for Surfing. You have beach break, reef break, point break, more exposed beaches or fallback beaches.
It is true that some countries like Indonesia or Costa Rica are easy to learn compare to Portugal. That’s why I say that if you know how to surf in Portugal, you can be able to surf anywhere in the world.
I think Ericeira is definitely prepared to welcome surfers around the globe because we do have the capacity to welcome them.
The way Ericeira got the capacity for tourism is another story.
But we have to be careful with the mass tourism and try to protect our coastline as much as possible.