With just two weeks to go until Progression Lives’ first trip to Portugal, it was a coincidence that I happened to be heading there with Airush to do a foiling photoshoot in some of the best spots the Portuguese coast has to offer.

This was my second trip to the town of Viana do Castelo, and again I was reluctant to leave. There are few places I’ve travelled to with kiting that could tempt me away from my home near Brighton, but Viana is somewhere I feel I could actually move to. Cape Town is another, both thanks to their awesome conditions and great off the water activities.

We arrived in Viana late on the Monday afternoon in our VW camper, having driven up there from Obidos. The 1986 VW California isn’t built for speed and the drive took us a couple of hours, but within an hour we were out on the water, eager to stretch our legs after the journey from the UK. We took 12’s as it seemed relatively light, but within half an hour we were fully powered up. We were kiting right up to the inside wall, which offers a mirror-like glassy flat section; the perfect backdrop for a shoot.

That evening the wind dropped off, leaving a vast space just for us to enjoy, although there’s endless space here anyway no matter how many riders are on the water. We headed downwind to find a few small waves rolling in that we could play on with the foils whilst the summer sunset slowly behind us. Excited for what the next morning was going to bring we headed back to camp for a few bottles of Sagres and a slightly cramped night’s sleep in the camper.

We awoke to a heavy fog outside the windows. It was light 9m weather, with an eerie feeling in the air, but conditions on the water were sublime. Without a doubt these were the glassiest waters I’ve ever been foiling in; you could literally see your reflection flying along in the water below the foil. With nobody else around, the backdrop created some pretty spectacular scenes for the shoot.

Feeling satisfied with the shots that we’d taken, it was time to move on with our Cosmic Quest down the coast in search of more of these magic spots.

There’s still one place available on our Portugal Foiling camp, come join us if you fancy experiencing this amazing spot whilst jumpstarting your foiling progression.

We also are booking up our October camp in Dakhla, Morocco – this renowned flat water location is the perfect place to practice your gybes and tack or simply get to grips with your foiling technique. Book your place today.