De epicone , 28-08-2012

stop whining - to all the ones whining around (especially the racists among you insulting other nations) because amado is packed with people during peak season. So what...life goes on!?! Get a life or go surfing here during Oct-Feb when the swell is better anyway. Otherwise you can go to one of the several other beaches as well. And to the ones who insulted that Dago-Guy...at least he comes up with some business ideas instead of just hanging around and applying for financial support. Remember it´s the tourists who mostly bring their money to Portugal and support your economy so you can make a decent life.
I like amado, always had great surf sessions here- just don not go here during summer, if you do not want to fight for your (mostly small) waves.

De roberto appleby , 10-11-2011

great place - yeah there are a lot of beginners - it's a great place for them to learn - once it gets a bit bigger though they soon clear off and there's more than enough room.
I think most people as a whole are ok and friendly enough apart from a few knobheads but you get that wherever you go in any sport - beatiful place and great waves will definately go back

De boogey007 , 08-10-2011

Algarve and the crowded line ups - Hi

Thought i would like to express aloud my opnion of this beach and others after spending 7 days out there this week. Amado is a quality break lining up nicely with 2 out of the 3 days of shore. It is extremely busy with surf schools learners all positioned nicely at your take of point. And yes as others have reported before, the schools are taught no etiquette so hoards of chop sticks , long boards are thrown adrift in the white water so be careful paddling out. I am of an opnion that all have to learn somewhere and somehow but because the waves are lined up only a small distance from the shore people are pretty crushed in out there. You have to go in early once 10am arrives so do the chop sticks. I did get a great session at 5pm when dinner must have been served to the masses but it was short lived and I was soon surrounded by whooping , drop in Germans. I explored every break from Sagres to Arefana and no matter how desilate the area or big the wave the line up was always packed. There are some scary , thick, monster waves to be had or politely lined up 3 footers maybe on the next beach along, but you will always be competing with several others to catch that perfect wave and jump of it to avoid a beginner dropping in through the middle of it. Unfortunately the Algarve is oversurfed to destruction and my local beaches Watergate , Firstal are empty in comparison!!

De Anonymous , 13-04-2008

local surfer - Ei guys hello there
Good for those ones ho didnt like there experience down south of portugal , less a few kooks or frofballs to be in our way , on the other hand if you like it come back for more fun and good waves
PEACE

De Anonymous , 19-10-2007

good times - just came back from a short week of surfing there.
had a real good time: always swell between 1 and 2 meters, good weather, warm water (surf with boardshort was possible), warm air (28°C).
good atmosphere there. locals are nice.
drawbacks: a little crowded all over the week and any time of day.
when it was low-tide, mostly closeouts came in and smashed the lineup (funny to watch, unfunny if you're in).

i will definately come back soon.

De NSBR , 02-07-2007

Mediocre! - Just back from a trip to Portugal and very disappointted with quality of surf there, Amado had waves every day but very poor quality, no shape and surprisingly lame. Very crowded on weekends and even mid-week with the inevitable surf schools. Some v good local surfers though who ripped in quite frankly crap surf! Autumn is the only time to go, less people and better waves.

De wheremyelephant , 05-05-2007

You guys are lucky - I'm really sorry for ruining your wonderful surfing experience but I had to get mine. You are so lucky to live in Portugal and don't have to pay money to surf, well I'm not. So I came from this f**** Russia to surf for 2 weeks attending a f****g surfschool. I worked my ass off to get it. So you suckers better stop whining, buy a car and go surf somewhere else. Portugal is like 6 hour drive by car from north to south and it is packed with surfspots. So shut up!

De chuchasurf , 26-04-2007

mr . destroyerlipke - the beach owners are the surfschools, i hate the surfschools, only thinks money money money,are the worst in do amado, and all algarve,

thats a pity, there was wonderfull days in do amado, never come back,

thank you mr lipke, now you are rich, you prefer the money, i prefer the surf.

De Kanhoto , 17-12-2006

Packed up!!! - Gotta agree 100% with João G. on this
I counted the crowd on water 3 years ago in a july day with 0.5m waves and I stopped counting in 200 and I had only counted half of the beach. (Didn't count the ones on the sand)
I only go there if really desperated cause it's horrible.
The problem is that other beaches are getting too much crowded also and as Joao G. says it's because surf schools don't stay in one beach they go for the beach that is working best in all sowthwerstern coast. Now imagine 3 schools with 15 to 30 students each in the same spot. An experienced surfer can always catch the better waves but has to run a slallom in each. It's horrible.
ISTO TÁ A FICAR IMPOSSÍVEL!!!!

De Joao G. , 21-08-2006

The end of freesurf - I've been surfing Algarve since 1983 and it's a shame what's happening down there. It used to be a paradise in my country, empty beaches with lot's of waves for everibody, really a nice place to surf. One day this german (or russian, some say) guy (Dago Lipke) created his f***ing surfschool and it was the beggining of the end of this wonderful place. When the portuguese local surfers (some were not locals before)realised that they could earn loads of money the same way mr. Lipke did, it just went out of control. Praia do Amado was the first spot to be ruined, it is ridiculous, hundreds of cooks in the water creatin caos, that's not the spirit of surf, share your waves but not for money. Mr Lipke you might not be the worst of the surfschool owners, i know you and i'm sure you remember me and i was one of the first to be really pissed with the crowds you started to bring to our beaches but you opened the way to the end of surf in Algarve. E AOS ANORMAIS DAS OUTRAS ESCOLAS DE SURF (DONOS E INSTRUTORES) SÓ VOS QUERIA DIZER MAIS UMA COISA VOCÊS ESTÃO A CAVAR A VOSSA PRÓPRIA SEPULTURA, VOCÊS JÁ NEM SEQUER PENSAM EM SURFAR SEUS GANANCIOSOS, SÓ PENSAM EM DINHEIRO, ESTÃO A ESTRAGAR TUDO SEUS BANDALHOS.