Gota D'Agua is a surf camp at Costa da Caparica, a small beach town near Lisbon’s capital.
We chatted with one of the founders, Ricardo Carvalho, about how they started and what is their business approach.
How did Gota D’Agua start?
Gota D’agua was founded in 2012 as a Surfschool by Ricardo Carvalho. At the time, the idea was to teach locals and offer tourists from Lisbon, a unique surfing experience.
I started school with an old van, a few boards, and a dream. Immersed in the longboard lifestyle from my teenage year, I discovered a passion and talent for music. By merging the two together it became a wholesome, dynamic, and creative lifestyle; which in 2012 I started to share with the world. Forthwith, students quickly started to hear of Gota D’Agua.
A young man named Goncalo, who was studying tourism and in need of an internship, soon became part of the business as a surf teacher. With an extra pair of hands, things became more organized and soon after, we needed more teachers to respond with the growing numbers of students. Goncalo introduced me to his brother Miguel and his best friend, Pedro. The trio started giving surfing lessons and immediately fell in love with the vibe. We all wanted to share the surfing vibe along with learning a dynamic sport that brings huge smiles to people no matter the age.
Three years down the line and with a little bit more capital under our belt, we started the surf hostel. It was the stepping stone to what we are today, a Surf Camp. At first, the surf hostel’s guest wanted to stay a number of days or weeks for some, where we offered the possibility to surf, enjoy a dinner with us, and be part of a series of events. These events were quite impulsive, they could be a day trip to a beautiful beach down south, sunsets on the cliffs, or group dinners to a nearby town. That spontaneity was what made a surf hostel a great place for young, lonesome travelers looking to discover another lifestyle and energy.
Learning from experience, we now wanted to be more professional, while still being able to share the surfing lifestyle and culture with our guests. We became a surf camp that offered weekly packages, including a planned and organized set of activities with daily surfing lessons and a number of parallel events. This permitted us to focus on our teaching quality and professionalism.
What were your criteria for the property?
Finding a house was a real challenge for us. As the main location, we chose Costa da Caparica as it has better waves during the summer, a countryside feeling, and only 30min away from Lisbon’s city center. We needed a house that was close to the beach but not in the city center of Costa da Caparica.
Thus why Sao Joao da Caparica became the ultimate choice for a number of reasons. Being 10min by foot from the surf school and 5min away by car from the nightlife of Caparica, allows our guests to be more independent. Moreover, a house with a garden gave the possibility to host large dinners outside and build a beach like a bar, further expressing the surf lifestyle and atmosphere.
In 2015, we rented the house as we did not have the capital required to buy it. Although, in 2019, after four years of operation, we bought the house and started to rent another one 20 meters away. This allowed to have a fixed asset and could serve as a guarantee.
The main house was very flexible in terms of room arrangements, equipped with 5 rooms and a big dorm on the third floor, we were able to have a wide variety of rooms to maximize occupancy. Having a second house permitted us to divide our market target group, where we mostly welcome families and couples as the atmosphere is more private and quiet.
They still have the ability to enjoy and discover a high-quality surfing experience while being part of the daily social activities.
How does the coaching experience look like?
Globally, we are dividing the lessons into two groups, beginners and intermediate level. Each group will be divided into smaller groups to provide a personal approach to each student as each individual has different needs and will need different explanations depending on whether or not they have never surfed or have surfed a few times.
This sub-divisions allows us to bridge and mix private coaching and group coaching, it is made possible due to our highly trained surf instructors who all have been practicing surfing at a high level. Our lessons also consist of theoretical classes where we explain the science and practice behind surfing.
We want our students not only to learn how to surf, but we also want them to be better surfers and more acknowledged surfers than when they first set foot in Gota D’agua.
Your concept evolved around the packages, how does it work?
Our Weekly surf packages allows us focus on a qualitative approach towards teaching rather than quantitative. Furthermore, we not only want to teach at a high standard but fully immerse the students into the surfing lifestyle where they can enjoy the culture of Portugal.
This organized and strong structure would not be possible without a selection of strong partners/agencies who share a similar mindset and goal as Gota D’agua. This allows for a more diverse marketing strategy that can reach a higher number of people while keeping a strong brand image and message.
You are now experimenting with coliving surf house - how does it work?
With the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw a market opportunity where could rent rooms on a weekly basis while still being able to surf and work from home.
We then took this opportunity and adapted the second house which now can accommodate families, couples, or individuals who have to work and still give them the possibility to have surfing lessons and participate in our social activities, such as dinners and sunsets.
We realized that our structure is very adaptable to change, preparing Gota D’agua for any challenges we might face in the future.
More interviews with surf hospitality entrepreneurs
Interview by Peter Fabor
Peter is the founder of Surf Office, a company that helps surf houses, hotels and villas boost their group bookings by hosting retreats with tech companies searching for productive team-building experiences. Learn more about how to become a property partner of Surf Office.
