December is the return to non-stop swell and unreliable conditions. The Atlantic lows are producing constantly, so there is something breaking on every day of the month, and the wind and rain that come with them decide how much of it is surfable.
The water is down to 15°C and a 4/3 with boots is the sensible kit. Nazaré is at the heart of its big-wave season and draws a crowd to watch rather than to surf. Everywhere else the trick is the same as January's: a car, a week, and the flexibility to be at whichever bay is holding shape that morning.
