Introduction by Liz Schaffer & Photographs by Orlando Gili

When the heart aches, mind wanders and body feels weary, few things are as restorative as the sea. Powerful and sibylline, it promises weightlessness and freedom, the chance to be at one with the waves and consumed by the moment. In Portugal, the wild waters of the Atlantic are made all the more seductive by the softest of lights and the sense that time holds little sway. It is an unspoilt playground; a place where water, salt and sand can soothe and exhilarate, revive and repair.

The waves and scenery of the Alentejo’s west coast are particularly extraordinary - this waterside wonderland boasts a rugged shoreline, mischievous winds, warmth and wonder. It is stunning, particularly in the quieter autumn months, the domain of devotees drawn to the siren song of the swell. Indeed, it seems that the barefoot travellers and locals who surf here know something many of us have forgotten - how to dive into nature and be entirely at one. And they’re willing to share their stories.

There is João, photographed as the sun rose above the remote and protected Praia do Malhão. A Portuguese native, he lives completely off grid in a camper-van. He neither owns or desires a phone and wore a jumper knitted by his mother that mirrors the colours and patterns of the ocean.

Marco moved to the Alentejo to live with his girlfriend, Raphaela. They run a bed and breakfast in the Algarve’s Praia do Monte Clérigo and sleep in their van when it’s full. He is joined in the water by Macarena, a Brazilian surfer here on holiday, and Jean Andre, visiting from Germany - both lured by the promise of rolling waves and a halcyon surfing community.

Arriving on a battered scooter, Paolo comes to the coast every day at dusk. He camps on slate grey rocks metres away from the pounding Atlantic, moving every so often to keep clear of the raging water below.

Some surfers prefer not to give their names, but explain that they have relocated to the Alentejo after years of longing to commit full time to the ocean. An instructor points out that he now teaches on the beach where he caught his first wave as a child - the sleepy Praia de Almograve - living by the sea to escape the malaise of big city life. He is calmer now, grounded, privileged to live and surf beside a group of like-minded, nature-seeking souls who understand the bewitchment and necessity of life’s simple pleasures.

This feature - along with quite a few or Orlando’s images - appeared in our Portugal magazine, which you can order by clicking here.