The Journey Behind Sardinha Surf Coaching

Hi, I’m Lídia — co-founder of Sardinha Surf Coaching.

Surfing had always been a dream of mine. But for a long time, it felt out of reach for one big reason:

I didn’t know how to swim.

At 25, I decided it was time to change that. I signed up for swimming lessons and stuck with them for a year. The day I finally felt confident in the water was the day everything changed. I packed my bags and moved to Ericeira — ready to chase my surf dream.

But when I arrived, I quickly realized that most surf schools weren’t built for people like me.

They were focused either on tourists looking for a quick “surf experience” or on kids training to go pro.

I wasn’t looking to be pushed into waves or ride a foam board just for the photo.

I wanted to understand surfing.

I wanted to go into the ocean by myself, read the conditions, analyze the currents, find a channel, understand where the waves were breaking — and most of all, time my take-off properly.

I didn’t want a one-off thrill. I wanted the foundation to become an independent surfer.

But… where was the path for adults like me, who genuinely wanted to progress?

That’s when I met Filipe. He had been developing a structured coaching method specifically for adult surfers — and I became his first student.

What happened next changed everything.

First session ever

3 months after form the 1st session

One Month Later…

After just one month of training with Filipe, I wasn’t the same person in the water.

I could surf independently. I knew where to paddle out, how to assess the surf, and which spots matched my level. I felt confident and capable — finally connected to the ocean in a way I had always dreamed of.

That experience became the foundation for what we do today.

Together, we created the 1-Month Intensive Surf Training Program, a method designed to give adult surfers real, long-term progress — not just moments of fun.

Sardinha Surf Coaching was born from my journey — from not knowing how to swim to becoming a confident surfer.

If you’re an adult looking for something more than a surf lesson…

If you want to build real skills and surf with independence…

Then we built this for you.

— Lídia

Co-Founder of Sardinha Surf Coaching