Surfing is exploding in Ireland and many Irish surfers are heading to Portugal to sample some of the world’s best waves.

Though Ireland has its own formidable waves, some of the Emerald Isle’s surf spots are quite frankly a bit dangerous. The lack of sun, abundance of rain and less-than-summery temperatures are a bit less likely to lure those just starting to surf or surfers who want to combine a sunny, pleasant holiday with catching a few waves.

An article in the Irish Times describes an Irish beginners surf holiday on Portugal’s sunny beaches:

Surfing can seem intimidating, but here, all levels of surfers share the same beaches, with beginners staying closer to the shore, while the braver head out to the large waves. There’s a friendly, welcoming atmosphere, which puts us at ease. Eager as we are to fling ourselves into the sea, the basics are best learned on land. We squeeze into our wetsuits, lie on our boards and follow Marcel’s lead as the “tak tak tak” mantra begins, each call signifying a change in position until we’re upright. When we’re surfing the sand like pros, it’s time to enter the water.

photo by Jorge Bras (Flickr CC)

And there’s no better place to sample Portugal’s top surf spots than Ericeira – Europe’s only World Surfing Reserve – which combines great surfing, a quiet, less-crowded atmosphere than most surf Meccas, and plenty of things to do apart from just surf.

This summer Ericeira will host Portugal’s first surf film festival, which will run from July 6th to 8th. The Portuguese Surf Film Festival will include feature length movies, short films and documentaries from all over the world. The final day of the festival is reserved for Portuguese films and a prize will be awarded to the best domestic product.

Check out the homepage for the 2012 Portuguese Surf Film Festival.