The 2025/26 edition of the Tudor Nazaré Big Wave Challenge once again placed Praia do Norte – Nazaré at the centre of the global surfing scene this Saturday, 13 December 2025, with a morning marked by giant waves and high-level performances — even though the event did not unfold exactly as initially planned.

It was during the morning period that the best conditions of the day were concentrated. The ocean was powerful and demanding, delivering moments of great intensity and once again confirming Nazaré’s status as one of the most challenging stages in big wave surfing.

Rewatch the event video, broadcast live by the WSL:

Among the standouts, Nicolau von Rupp once again established himself as one of the key figures of the event. The Portuguese surfer achieved another victory at the Tudor Nazaré Big Wave Challenge, becoming a two-time consecutive winner of the competition.

One of the most memorable moments of the competition took place during the morning session, when von Rupp surfed a wave of significant size that quickly stood out among the biggest and most impressive of the day.

See the official results on the WSL website

Despite the strong start and expectations of continued action throughout the day, the competition ultimately ended early. A technical failure in communications compromised safety conditions, leading the organisers to decide not to continue the event during the afternoon, as the necessary safety conditions for surfers and rescue teams could no longer be guaranteed.

While safety is always the top priority in giant wave surfing, the early interruption left a sense of frustration and disappointment among athletes, the public on site, and viewers following the event remotely. There was a feeling of regret as the ocean remained very powerful, with big waves and no action in the water, in front of an audience estimated at around 50,000 people throughout the day, waiting to see those waves surfed during the afternoon.

Even so, this edition of the Tudor Nazaré Big Wave Challenge will be remembered for the intensity of the morning session and for the consecutive victory of Nicolau von Rupp, on a day when Nazaré once again showcased both its potential and its unpredictability.

[UPDATING...]

See below some photos from this day from a tourist’s perspective (unfortunately, overall visibility was not very good):