Frequently Asked Questions

The description below covers a usual day of surfing with our school. Different factors can influence the schedule but we will always communicate this with all our students.

We meet at 0845.

We try to leave camp at 0900 sharp and drive to the best beach for that day, anywhere between 5 minutes and 45 minutes from camp. At the beach we get into our wetsuits and bring boards and other items down to the beach.

The day includes a approximately 3 hours of lessons. There is usually a break in the middle.

At the end of the lesson we return home where everyone helps with cleaning their wetsuit and storing the boards.

Return transport from our location in Lagos to the surf beach (south or west coast), board, wetsuit and of course the lessons.

We meet at our location.

Outside of lessons we cannot offer insurance for yourself, your gear or third person liability. Therefore we only rent boards for individual practice after signing a liability waiver and when we can be assured that you are of at least intermediate level.

The aspects described below are a rough guide based on our experience over the years. It should be noted that everyone progresses at a different pace. Surfing is an amazing sport but it is not easy and you should not worry if you progress slower. The more time you dedicate to surf lessons, the faster you will progress. And remember that the best surfer is always the one who is having the most fun!

1 day:

• Short theoretical introduction to surfing
• Catching your first waves
• Practicing pop-ups on the beach and in the water
• Getting to know the board and standing up

3 days

• Theory of surfing and moving the board
• Riding waves all the way to the beach
• Practicing the art of turning on the beach and in the water
• Steering the board left and right

5 days

• Theory of surfing green waves
• Paddling out behind the white water
• Learning to turtle roll
• Catching small green waves with help of your instructor
• Going left and right on green waves

We are happy to take you surfing any day of the week when we have enough availability.

During peak season (July, August, September), we can only accept Surf n’ Stay bookings. Outside of these months you can always book accommodation only and decide on activities later. Do please note that this is always subject to availability.

Due to licence restrictions we can only offer lessons to persons of 14 years and older. For kids between 14 and 18, please note that our guests are usually older and it might be more difficult for them to find companionship although everyone is welcome of course.

When booking accommodation with younger children, it should be noted that even though we are not a party camp, especially in peak season the generally older crowd might stay up late and have a drink together. It is up to you to decide if you and your family are comfortable with that and if yes, we are of course more than happy to have you!

We teach in groups of maximum 8 students per instructor and with a maximum of 24 persons in total. Our instructors are dedicated to giving everyone personal attention and advice and we always keep different levels into regard as much as we can.

Lunch is not provided.

We advise to bring the items listed below. As you will have to leave your belongings on the beach or in the surf vans, we advise you to bring no valuables other than maybe some small change to buy something at the beach bars.

• Beach towel
• Bikini/swim shorts to wear under wetsuit and while sunbathing
• Sun cream SPF 30-50 and zink or other specific face protection product
• Water and a snack

The kitesurf departure time is highly dependent on the wind but is almost always around lunch time. Our instructors will advise you on the likely departure time the evening before your lesson day and keep you up to date if anything changes.

We pick you up at on of our meeting points near your accommodation and bring you back to our camp to size you up for gear. After that we drive to the Lagos side of the Alvor lagoon and set up the kites. From that point on your lesson starts and we will enter the lagoon to practice until the wind drops or the group is out of energy.

After the lesson we bring you back to camp to rinse and pack up all the gear together before we return you to the meeting point.

Return transport from Lagos the the Alvor Lagoon, board, kite + bar&lines, harness, wetsuit, water and of course the lessons.

We have the following standard pick-up points. If you let us know where you are staying, we will direct you to the nearest and see if adjustments are needed:

• Vila Gale (outside reception):
  For Vila Gale & immediate area
• Adega da Marina (parking space in front):
  For Marina and Tivoli area
• BP gas station (by side of station):
  Lagos downtown area
• Cascade Resort (main property entrance):
  For Cascade and immediate area
• Clube Porto do Mos (main property entrance):
  For Porto do Mos and immediate area
• Casa Offshore (our camp, Rua Pintor Falcão Trigoso Lt. 8 Lagos):
  For Dona Ana and Torraltinha area – every location within 10 minutes of our address.

On your first day of lessons you have to meet us at camp so we can set you up with the right gear. For following days, you can discuss a different meeting point with the instructors.

Please note that payments and booking adjustments have to be made to/confirmed by one of the Extreme Algarve managers, not the kitesurf instructors.

It is hard to recommend any amount of hours when we do not know someone’s level and progression speed. But as a beginner, generally speaking you need at least 12-15 hours of group lessons to practice by yourself.

We offer kite rental only when the instructors confirm the student is able to independently handle the gear and ride upwind. We prioritize kitesurf lessons over kitesurf rental, therefore we offer gear rental only on a day to day basis depending on availability.

Seeing as there is always something new to learn in kitesurfing, we recommend that you book as many hours as possible to get the most out of your kitesurf holiday.

The aspects described below are a rough guide based on our experience over the years. It should be noted that everyone progresses at a different pace. Kitesurfing is an amazing sport but it takes time to learn and you should not worry if you progress slower. The more time you dedicate to kitesurf lessons, the faster you will progress. And remember that the best kitesurfer is always the one who is having the most fun!

3 Hours

• All there is to know about location and conditions
• Equipment and terminology
• Setting up the kite
• How to control the kite in the air
• Launching and landing the kite
• Safety procedures and self-rescue

6 Hours

• All of the introduction package plus:
• Body dragging (kite control in the water)
• Upwind body dragging and board recovery
• Water starts (first meters on the board)

9 Hours

• All of water starter package plus:
• Riding the board
• One hand kite control
• Going upwind (learning how to return to take off location without walking)

12 Hours

• All of board rider package plus:
• Turns (changing direction)
• Riding toe side
• And maybe even your first tricks!

15 Hours or more

Keep progressing on the above mentioned points.

We aim to complete 3 hours per day depending on the conditions. Our instructor will advise at the end of each day how many hours have been completed.

We are happy to take you kitesurfing any day of the week in June, July and August, when we have enough availability

Our kiteschool is open in June, July and August, normally the most wind-sure months in the Algarve.

Unfortunately we cannot control the conditions each day. If you miss out on a scheduled day due to low winds, we will try to book you into one of the following available days. If you cannot do all the hours that you booked due to low wind, and we did not give you any option to reschedule, we will refund you the difference between the hours booked and the hours completed. (E.g. you booked 15 hours, costing 375 euros but finished only 9, costing 279 euros, we will refund you 96 euros.)

Due to licence restrictions we can only offer lessons to children of 14 years and older and students need to be at least 1.25 meters to fit the gear. For children between 14 and 18, please note that our guests are usually older and it might be more difficult for them to find companionship although everyone is welcome of course.

We teach in groups of maximum 4 students per instructor 2 persons per kite. Our instructors are dedicated to giving everyone personal attention and advice and we always keep different levels into regard as much as we can.

We advise to bring the items listed below. As you will have to leave your belongings on the beach or in the kitesurf truck, we advise you to bring no valuables.

• Beach towel
• Bikini/swim shorts to wear under wetsuit and while sunbathing
• Sun cream SPF 30-50 and zink or other specific face protection product
• Something warm to wear after your lesson as the windy lagoon can be chilly in the afternoon

Yes

Check in between 1600 to 1800 (no appointment necessary).

Late arrival service between 1800 and midnight (by appointment only).

We are a small business only and our lodge operates as a guest house. Therefore we do not have a 24-hour reception.

Onsite enquiry service between 0900 to 1100 and 1600 to 1800.

If you arrive before 1600, we invite you to drop off your luggage (without valuables) on our covered terrace and either hang out by the pool or explore town until check-in time.

If you arrive between 18:00 and midnight we will arrange for a staff member to meet you at camp and show you to your room. Further check in procedures will follow the next day. It is essential to keep the staff updated on your arrival time at the casa so they have enough time to come up and meet you. For evening flight arrivals between 20:30 and 21:30 we strongly suggest to book a private taxi or rental car as shared shuttles might not get you to the casa on time. For flight arrivals after 21:30 we advise an overnight stay in a hotel in Faro or Lagos and check in the following day.

Please note that we CANNOT PROVIDE CHECK INS AFTER MIDNIGHT.

A staff member is available on site daily for enquiries between 0900 to 1100 and again between 1600 to 1800.  We ask that you please do not disturb on site staff outwith these times unless it is an emergency.  An emergency number will be provided on arrival.

Upon check-in we will ask you for a 10 euro key deposit, which is returned as we receive the keys back from you. Please also bring a passport or ID card so we can make a copy.

You have to check-out by 11:00am. If you do not have to leave Lagos until later you we welcome you to store your luggage on our terrace (without valuables) and use our outdoor facilities incl. WC and (cold) shower for as long as needed.

For non-urgent questions or inquiries, please send us an email or whatsapp/text message. An emergency number will be provided on arrival.

In general we only accept bookings with FULL PAYMENT in advance. Very last-minute bookings and certain exceptional bookings can pay IN CASH on arrival if this has been agreed in advance.

Please see our Casa Offshore page \link\ for all the details on what is included with the Extreme Algarve accommodation.

Our emergency phone number will be provided at check in.

Please do ensure that you are suitably insured for your holiday and for the activities to be undertaken. We do provide insurance but we cannot accept liability for loss or injury to you or any member of your party due to your own negligence or failure to declare any medical conditions or previous injury.

Please also note our terms and conditions for our refund policy on last minute cancellations of accommodation and surf or kitesurf lessons due to injury or other reasons.

Arranging flights and transfers is your own responsibility. The nearest airport is Faro airport but Lisbon and Seville (Spain) are optional as well.

The travel time from Lisbon or Seville is about 4,5 hours by public transport or 3 hours by rental car.

The travel time from Faro is about 3 hours by public transport or 1 hour by rental car. We highly recommend booking a private or shared shuttle for more travel comfort. Although the waiting and travel time can in extreme cases go up to around 4 hours, you don’t have to worry about the transfers between Faro airport & Faro center and Lagos train/bus station and our camp.

Public transport:

• Trains: cp.pt
• Bus Faro: Eva transportes
• Bus Lisbon. Eva transportes/Rede Expresso
• Bus Seville: Alsa transport
• Shuttle transfers: various companies like GreenBus, Faro Shuttle Service, Yellowfish transfers