Watch: Cave
Though it sounds unlikely, surfers engage with geology more than we know. Yeah we ride waves, echoes of energy released vast distances away, but it's the bedrock below that gives those waves their shape.
Why is it, for instance, that a country like Australia is littered with slabs while the US could count them on one hand.
Geology!
Over here, the rocks are laid down in way that's conducive to short, sharp waves, while over there the bedrock fashions long pointbreaks and deepwater reefs.
Short and long period swells also come into it but there ain't enough space here to cover it all.
Portugal has a coastline much like Australia's east coast with an abundance of abrupt reefs and short pointbreaks. Perhaps the most dramatic of all is Cave at Ericeira, a fierce slab that's bound by high tides and perfect swell direction. If those two variables - plus a handful more - aren't in synch then it's a no go zone.
Recently, Albee Layer, Torrey Meister, Nic Von Rupp and Brad Flora rocked up and Cave was doable - just.
Comments
looks like a C@#$t of a wave. i don't know if its just depth perception but hows the gurgles and boils right in front of the take off! that last barrel was absolutely insane.
There is such a abundance of high quality reef and point breaks in the
Ericeira area its Disneyland for surfers. Every surfer should take a trip
there and the vibe is really good. Great place cannot wait to go back.
I spent a bit of time around this area in the late 80s and early 90s. Did the cliff top walk between Ribeira D'Ilhas and Coxos i million times, and always stopped and marvelled at Cave - except I didn't know it as Cave, and never saw anyone attempt to surf it. It just looked evil and tantalising.
The reefs are mostly sharp as fuck, too.
How heavy (actually i was laughing it looked so heavy) was that over the falls at 2.45!