Ericeira Dedication Ceremony Friday Oct 14th

Following the approval of the Ericeira World Surfing Reserve (WSR) in February of 2011, the official dedication ceremony will take place Friday, October 14th and is being organized by the Municipality of Mafra, the Local Stewardship Council of the Ericeira WSR, the Association of the Friends of Coxos Bay (AABC), and the Ericeira Surf Club (ESC).


Photo: ©AnthonyGhiglia.com

The Ericeira World Surfing Reserve dedication ceremonies will consist of the following events:

  • 7am - Sunrise Paddle Out and Blessing: on the beach at Ribeira d’Ilhas
  • 10:30am - Official Ericeira WSR Dedication: Parque de Santa Marta, Ericeira
  • 9pm - Ericeira WSR Celebration: Discoteca Ouriço, Ericeira


The official dedication ceremony in the mid-morning will include the presentation of a short film “BE”, a Luso –Dutch co-production depicting surfing in Ericeira that won the prize for best film at the Cornwall Film Festival in England. The ceremony will continue with the presentation of the World Surfing Reserves plaque to representatives on behalf of the Ericeira community, followed by a speech by Will Henry who founded Save The Waves Coalition. Will Henry established Save The Waves after he was inspired to take action to protect several waves threatened by development projects of the island of Madeira, a place he traveled to frequently over the span of ten years.

Both portions of the ceremony, the sunrise paddle-out and the formal dedication, are open to the public, and anyone interested in attending is welcome.

Various individuals will speak on behalf of the various entities that were involved in the successful Ericeira application for WSR status including: José Menezes, the President of the Ericeira Surf Club; Jorge Cardoso, Vice President of the Friends of Coxos Bay; José Maria dos Santos, Mayor of Mafra; and Dr. Pedro Afonso de Paulo, Secretary of State and Environmental and Spatial Planning.

Finally Joao Valente, the editor-in-chief of SURFPortugal will present the beautiful Ericeira World Surfing Reserve booklet, which details the region’s incredible waves, environmental characteristics, and surf culture and history.

Visit the Ericeira World Surfing Reserve page for more information on the Reserve.