The southern coast of Portugal, better know as the Algarve region, is staking it's claim as one of Europe's top surfing locations. There are now numerous surf-friendly locations along the coast and a series of events for both amateurs and professionals.

Inhabitants of many countries in Europe need to travel abroad to practice the sport of surfing. For land-locked countries that is obvious, but even for countries like Britain, the surf beaches of the Algarve hold many benefits. There is no doubt that surfing has increased in popularity in the UK over recent years, with the beaches of Cornwall attracting hundreds of surfers, even during the colder days of winter. But those cold waters and the unreliable surfing conditions make the Cornish beaches limited in terms of appeal.

Along the Algarve coast from Faro westwards there are plenty of places where surfers of all abilities can take to the water. Up to the beaches like Tonel and Mareta in the south western corner of the country the waves tend to be more gentle and better for beginners, but once you round the headland and the beaches face the larger Atlantic waves in places like Casteljo and Amand, then the surf can be more extreme and on some days only experts are able to cope.

Faro is hoping to increase its surfing credentials this year by hosting several early season competitions. On 20th February Praia de Faro was the location for a regional surfing tournament. Also during February the Vila do Bispa beach in Lagos is the venue for another regional surfing championship. In March at Praia do Odeceixe there will be a bodyboarding championship. Faro also hosted a body boarding competition on 20th February.