Records and Brief history of Nazaré waves
The promontory of Nazaré in Portugal, where is the lighthouse, separate two very different beaches! South of the lighthouse is a quieter beach, the main beach of Nazaré. On the North of the lighthouse, the North Beach (Praia do Norte) with an angrier temperament due to the Nazare North Canyon - big waves generator, where the sea offers giant waves!
It's in North Beach that lately we have seen the big wave surfers beating world records. Check the summary of recent records until 2023 in the following video from WSL (and then more details below):
However, surf in Nazaré is already recorded since the 60s, when the surf began to gain fans in Portugal. The video one shows American surfers enjoying the small waves on the main beach, in 1968. Probably they were the first to surf this beach.
Bodyboard also found a place in Nazaré, mainly in North Beach. In a long time, bodyboarders catch these waves, sometimes… dangerously! On video two we can see one of those sessions, on November 2004. The bodyboarders face the big waves without any support!
Since 2003, it takes place in North Beach the Nazaré Special Edition (Sumol Special Edition since 2005), an international bodyboarding championship for invited athletes.
The 3rd video shows the first record in the giant waves of the North Beach, where two bodyboarders (Porkito e Faustino) face the big waves without the support of jet skis! (November 2009).
Praia do Norte 11-14-2009 from meiasdeleite on Vimeo.
How big are the waves at Nazare?
It was only in 2010 that the famous big wave surfer, Garrett McNamara, came to Nazaré. He was invited by Dino Casimiro (bodyboarder of Nazaré and technician of the City Hall). Then began the project Zon North Canyon Show and in 2011 McNamara caught a wave with 78 foot / 23.77 meters, beating the world record for the biggest wave ridden until 2017!
Garrett would be one of the main responsible for giving worldwide prominence to the giant waves of Nazaré, elevating the place to one of the most coveted destinations for big wave surfers.
Meanwhile, on November 8, 2017, Brazilian Rodrigo Koxa surfed the biggest wave ever surfed, until proven otherwise, recorded in Nazaré, with 80 foot / 24.38 meters, narrowly surpassing Garret McNamara's record wave of 2011, stamping the world record for the biggest surfing wave ever, the Guinness Record . Check the amazing video bellow, of largest wave surfed:
Also on November 8, 2017, the Portuguese Nuno "Stru" Figueiredo broke the record for the biggest wave surfed in kitesurf , with a 19 meter (62 foot) high wave, certified
years later by Guinness and the Official World Record (NGO)
In 2020 Maya Gabeira achieved a new Guinness world record in the category of biggest wave (female) "Largest wave surfed - unlimited (female)" ,
surpassing its previous record (of 2018). The giant wave was surfed on February 11, 2020, during the
Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge event,
measuring 73.5 foot in height (22.4 meters), after rigorous scientific measurement.
Check the record video here.
NEW RECORD 2022:
In 2022 Sebastian Steudtner conquered new
Guinness World Record
in category "Largest wave surfed - unlimited (male)",
surpassing all previous records.
The giant wave was surfed on October 29, 2020,
measuring 86 feet in height (26.21 meters), after rigorous scientific measurement. More information about the record here.
Thereafter, Nazaré was on the news worldwide and became the most famous spot in the big wave’s agenda. Each year more and more surfers, from various corners of the planet, come to Portugal, to challenge the biggest wave of the world!
Someday it is possible for a 100 foot wave to be surfed in Nazaré!
The first big waves surf competition that took place in Nazaré was the WSL Nazaré Challenge in 2016, and others followed, check Annual big wave surfing event Nazaré Challenge.
Check also the Nazare North Canyon - big waves generator.