We went to try out coasteering. We had heard about it several times and the feedback of travellers who booked coasteering via SeaBookings has been great. We now discovered that coasteering in Portugal is one of our favorite ways to explore the Portuguese coastline.
Our guide for coasteering in Sesimbra, Jorge, explained what this activity exactly involves. Coasteering involves progressing along the coastline in between the water of the Atlantic and the impressive rocky shore.
To progress along the shore, we were swimming, climbing, rappelling, doing zip line, jumping into the water and walking a bit too.
Our coasteering experience in Sesimbra
We were kindly welcomed by three guides, João, Jorge and Artur. These three guides for coasteering in Sesimbra know the coastline of Sesimbra like no other. They are locals and have been doing water sports and boat tours in Sesimbra since they were kids.
Our group, of ten young adventurers, got then assigned a wetsuit, helmet, buoyancy aid and a harness for climbing and doing rappel to each one of us. From home we had brought shoes that could get wet, a swimming suit for under the wetsuit and some old shorts to wear on top of the wetsuit to protect it while we sit on the rocks.
About the shoes, the more profile the sole has, the better, as you’ll be able to climb better. After the coasteering activity, you can simply wash them with a lot of water to take the salt off. Don’t’ forget to put on a lot of sunblock on your face.
Watches, rings, sunglasses and phones are recommended to stay in the changing rooms. There are changing rooms for the guys and girls separately and they are closed while we were gone. What you should definitely bring is a GoPro camera, if you’ve got one, with a waterproof protection.
Once we were totally equipped, Jorge and Artur carefully gave us a briefing, in both Portuguese and English as we had several nationalities in our group. “No doubts? Let’s go!”. The coasteering in Sesimbra started with a walk of about 500m.
Not very comfortable wearing the full gear but while chatting to the team, it passed by quickly. Once we got to the shore, the first adventure was a jump. We saw João waiting for us with his support boat. This boat came with us all the time, just in case needed and also to cruise us back to the port of Sesimbra after the activity.
The first jump of the cliffs is maybe the hardest, despite not being the highest neither the hardest technically. It’s the hardest because it’s the first and you’re still dry. Just don’t think too much and jump! Jorge and Artur told us that the best way to jump is to first open your arms to gain balance and then to close to protect your body and eventually close your nose.
The legs should stay straight. As it was our first time, no diving was allowed, only regular jumps, which was challenging enough! The guides know where exactly are the best spots to jump given the tides and the depth of the water. The trick is: just trust them and jump.
The feeling of jumping of the cliffs is great, it truly gives an adrenaline boost. The advantage of coasteering is that you can adapt the level you your “dare level”. If you’re afraid of heights, you can opt for the lower jumps. For the adrenaline junkies like me, go for the highest ones! In this route, from the port of Sesimbra to the beach of Ribeiro do Cavalo, the highest jump is 8m and believe me: it’s high!
The coasteering route along the coastline of Sesimbra involved some climbing and rappelling too. Besides, we had to swim a bit. Fortunately the swimming was not too long as swimming with the harness and shoes on is not that easy!
The coasteering activity took about three hours. Time flew! After about one hour and a half, you start getting hungry as coasteering is quite demanding physically. Fortunately, João has a little snack and water for us on the boat. We had a little pause to snack in the lovely sun on top of a rock.
Why we recommend coasteering in Sesimbra
The finish line of this coasteering adventure in Sesimbra was the beach of Ribeiro do Cavalo. This is one of the prettiest beaches of Portugal. The water is light blue and the sand white and very clean. In fact, along the whole route the natural environment was breathtaking. Coasteering in Sesimbra is surely one of the best ways to explore the nature of this stunning region. Can you be any closer to nature than climbing rocks and swimming in the Atlantic?
I highly recommend coasteering in Sesimbra. It’s a great thing to do if you’re on holidays in Lisbon or the Arrábida area. And no, you do not need to be fit to do coasteering. It’s suitable for kids too, as long as they feel comfortable in the ocean and are over 12 years old. In total the whole activity with getting dressed, briefing, activity and having showers, better count on half a day.
We did coasteering in Sesimbra in the morning. I’d recommend you to do the same because like that you can go for lunch in Sesimbra. In Sesimbra fresh fish is a must. We recommend restaurant “Lobo do Mar”, very near the meeting point for the coasteering, or “Formiga” which is more like a snack bar to eat fried squid or clams.
Coasteering can be done all year round, depending on the ocean and weather conditions. The minimum number of people for coasteering in Sesimbra is two. If you’re with more than two people, let us know and we’ll arrange a nice price! Please book as far in advance as you can to make sure you get your spot!
Are you ready for coasteering in Sesimbra? Book now or contact us in case you’ve got any questions or suggestions about coasteering in Sesimbra.
