Adventure & Extreme
Portugal
The biggest rideable waves ever recorded. Watching is terrifying enough.
The Forgotten Atlas — Field Report
The biggest rideable waves ever recorded. Watching is terrifying enough.
The largest wave ever surfed was ridden at Nazaré on November 8, 2017, by Rodrigo Koxa: 24.38 metres — eighty feet of water moving at the speed of a car on a motorway. The wave was verified by the World Surf League as the largest ever ridden. The reason Nazaré produces these waves is a submarine canyon — the Nazaré Canyon — that runs from 200 metres offshore to a depth of 5,000 metres, funnelling Atlantic swell energy directly to the break point at Praia do Norte. When the Atlantic generates major winter swell and the conditions align, Nazaré produces waves that should not exist in the surfable universe.
Standing on the cliff at Praia do Norte watching the big wave surfers and their jet ski drivers navigate 20-metre walls of water, I felt the kind of primal fear that requires no interpretation.
The Forgotten Atlas
The big wave events at Nazaré are not announced in advance — they depend on swell conditions that only become clear a day or two before. The surf forecasting community follows Nazaré constantly and news of a major swell spreads within hours. If you are in the area and conditions align, go to the cliff above Praia do Norte. You will hear the waves before you see them. The observation platform above the lighthouse gives a direct view down onto the break. What you will see — the scale of the waves, the surfers who look like insects on them, the jet ski drivers positioning for rescue — is genuinely unlike anything you have seen before.
Apart from the waves, Nazaré is a working fishing village with a distinctive culture — the women traditionally wear seven skirts, one for each day of the week — and one of the best fish restaurants in Portugal. The old town on the cliff (Sítio) is connected to the beach town below by a funicular that has been running since 1889. The seafood here — barnacles, percebes (gooseneck barnacles), fresh grilled fish — is among the finest on the Portuguese coast. Come in autumn and winter for the waves. Stay for the food.
Nazaré is 1.5 hours north of Lisbon. The big wave season runs October through March. Follow surf forecasting accounts online and be ready to drive up at short notice when a major swell is predicted.
The big wave beach. The lighthouse cliff above it is the viewing point. Come when the swell is running.
The clifftop old town. The funicular, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Nazaré, and a calmer, more atmospheric version of the village.
The main promenade, the fish market, and the restaurants that have been cooking fresh Atlantic catch since before surfing was invented.
The best fish restaurant in Nazaré. Caldeirada (fish stew), fresh grilled robalo and dourada, and percebes ordered as a starter. Non-negotiable.
Cliff-edge restaurant above the ocean. The view of the beach and the canyon below is extraordinary. The grilled fish matches it.
The fresh fish market. Buy percebes, clams, and whatever was caught this morning from the vendors inside.
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