Bodyboard Coaching · Ericeira · Portugal
Most bodyboarders learn alone. You watch videos, copy your friends, and slowly get better at the waves you already know. Then you hit a ceiling: the same drops, the same spin, the same barrel you never quite make. The fastest way through that ceiling is someone who has been there, looking at your riding and telling you exactly what to change.
Bodyboard is where my story in the ocean started. Before Sea Krew, before coaching surf and before spotting at Nazaré, I competed as a professional bodyboarder. This is how I coach bodyboard today in Ericeira, and why it works.
By Rui Ferreira — Founder of Sea Krew, former professional bodyboarder, coach since 2004.
In short: Sea Krew bodyboard coaching in Ericeira and Santa Cruz is led by a former professional bodyboarder: small groups, bodyboard and wetsuit included, the spot chosen each day for your level and safety, and video review of your waves. For independent bodyboarders who want to level up, the new Bodyboard Academy pilot weekend is open to the first 6 test riders.
From the competition circuit to the coaching beach
I grew up in the water with a bodyboard. Competition took me around the world: European junior title, a vice world champion result, finals at Pipeline and national titles in Portugal. More than the results, those years taught me how waves really work: where the power is, how to position for the barrel, and how small details in timing change everything.
I have been coaching since 2004. What I bring to a session is not only technique. It is the eye of someone who spent years judging waves, sections and mistakes, my own first.
What we work on in a bodyboard session
Every session starts with the ocean: we read the conditions together and choose the spot for your level. Then we pick one or two things to work on, not ten. Depending on where you are, that can be:
- Positioning and wave choice: where to sit, which waves to go for and which to let pass.
- The drop and the bottom turn: the foundation of every good wave. Most intermediate riders lose speed here.
- Trim and line: using the rail to stay in the fast part of the wave.
- Manoeuvres: spins, rollos and airs, built step by step and only when the base is solid.
- Barrel riding: reading the section, stalling, and keeping your line inside the tube.
- Ocean safety: currents, duck-diving, getting out through the whitewater, and knowing when not to paddle out.
Coach’s note: the manoeuvre is almost never the problem. When a spin or a rollo does not work, the cause is usually two seconds earlier: the speed you did not build in the bottom turn. Fix the base and the tricks follow.
See your own waves: video review
Every bodyboarder has the same gap: the drop feels perfect until you see it on camera. In our Academy sessions, your waves can be filmed from the beach with professional gear and reviewed together frame by frame, with one clear focus for your next session. Your notes, clips and photos are saved in your private Sea Krew app profile, so you can see your progress over time.
Why Ericeira and Santa Cruz for bodyboard
Ericeira is a World Surfing Reserve with reefs, point breaks and beach breaks within a short drive, and Santa Cruz adds powerful beach breaks with space to learn. That variety matters for bodyboard: some days call for a mellow beach break to work on basics, others for a heavier wave to practise barrels and airs. We choose the spot each morning for your level and for safety, never the other way round.
New: Bodyboard Academy pilot weekend
We are launching the Bodyboard Academy by Sea Krew with a pilot weekend in Ericeira, and we are looking for the first 6 test riders. It is a weekend with 3 coaching sessions at Ericeira bodyboard spots, led by me, for €75.
It is made for independent bodyboarders: intermediate level as the base, from 12 to 75 years old, no need to be a competitor. If you love bodyboard and want to understand your riding better, this is for you. When the 6 places fill, a waiting list opens for the next editions.
Join the pilot · first 6 test riders
Who is your coach today
Today I run Sea Krew in Ericeira: surf and bodyboard coaching, surf camps and retreats, and I work as the spotter for the Nazaré Nexus team. If you want to see that side of the ocean, read Nazaré through a spotter’s eyes. And if you are thinking about a longer stay, our Ericeira surf camp guide explains how a week with us works.
Frequently asked questions
Can beginners take bodyboard lessons in Ericeira?
Yes. We coach all levels, from first waves to advanced riders. Bodyboard, fins and wetsuit are provided, and the spot is chosen for your level and safety.
Who is the Bodyboard Academy pilot weekend for?
Independent bodyboarders with an intermediate level as the base, from 12 to 75 years old. You do not need to compete. The pilot weekend has 6 places, 3 coaching sessions and costs €75.
Do you film the sessions?
In Academy sessions, your waves can be filmed from the beach and reviewed frame by frame with your coach, and your clips and notes are saved to your private Sea Krew app profile.
Ready to level up your bodyboarding?
Be one of the first 6 test riders of the Bodyboard Academy, or book a coaching session in Ericeira or Santa Cruz on the dates that suit you.
Sea conditions and weather vary every day. Spot, timing and what we do in the water are decided on the day, with safety first and your level in mind.