“I have high hopes for this swell. It could be one of the best swells since 2022."
Nazare. What was once considered a picturesque but soft, in that European sort of way, big wave is now understood to be a beast without rival. Breaking off Portugal’s coast, the monster was put on the map by none other than Garrett McNamara nearly fifteen years ago. His relationship with the place beautifully documented in three seasons, now, of HBO’s 100 Foot Wave.
Nazare regularly serves up the “biggest wave ever recorded.” In 2017, the Brazilian big wave stud Rodrigo Koxa snagged an 80 footer which was beaten in 2020 by German hellman Sebastian Steudtner’s 86 footer which he bested, in 2024, with a 93 footer.
Hubba hubba.
Nazare to run
Surf fans, ever greedy little piggies, always demanding more and just might get it in a few short hours as the Nazare Big Wave Challenge has officially been green lit.
According to Surfline, the World Surf League’s official forecast sponsor, “A rapidly intensifying North Atlantic storm is sending a perfectly angled, 50-ft-plus swell straight toward Nazaré for the biggest surf of the year.”
Portugal’s own Nic Von Rupp took to Instagram to declared, “I have high hopes for this swell. It could be one of the best swells since 2022,” later adding, “It’s been 2 years since the last Tudor Nazaré Challenge, tomorrow it’s ON!! can’t wait to put the Jersey back on.”
Back in 2009, I covered the European leg of the then Association of Surfing Professionals for Stab Magazine and remember hearing of Nic von Rupp. This was before anyone knew of Nazare, of course, but I thought his name was very “Sound of Music” and pictured him as an Austrian in lederhosen who had been forced to escape Nazi persecution via a very inventive ruse.
I never got around to meeting him so maybe its true.
The Nazare Big Wave Challenge is set to run at 1:00 am Los Angeles time, 8:00 pm Sydney, in any case.
Yum yum.
For the lazy cunts out there
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NGMvUOvFKUQ
Joel Tudor Nazare Challenge
I too thought Von Rupps name was very “Sound of Music”, but pictured his ancestry to be on the side of those doing the persecuting.
Kinda like Rolf Gruber, the boy who joined the Nazis and dobbed in the Von Trapp family after the eldest daughter Liesl spurned his advances.
Probably related to that dastardly Hans Gruber bloke too…
Cool. How many times will it go On Hold from fog…then onshore… then someone nearly drowning?
Garrett Would Go…….then he’d make a longform docuseries about it and drag his whole extended family into it to tell you about the time Garrett went.
I got through the first season and three episodes second season over a two year period then called it quits.
No one cares about euros towing into oversized whitecaps.
Nazare has to be the least enjoyable “big wave” spot to watch. Big peaks that barely break.
(That’s not to say it’s not heavy or dangerous, just boring to watch)
Agreed. Hate waves that have no lip.
Your hood has been pumping
Swell and warm sunny weather at the beach with offshore winds. freezing tule fog inland. Rincon getting any swell?
About 750 of your closest friends are out there right now waiting for you to paddle out.
Maybe hippy can start a boat service to E__W__ now that they closed the off ramp.
It’s not closed and it’s no secret since everyone driving the 101 in both directions can see it. It IS packed with groms being filmed by their mommy’s and doesn’t get over shoulder high. Have at it.
Nazare is about as lost as Maddie McCann for me
Nic Von Twat , eurotrash tow boarder with a seppo accent , could it get any worse?
Yes, it can get worse.
Yes. Sebastian Steudner. At least Nick Von Rupp will post the odd overhead paddle wave every once in a while.
For some reason he reminds me of a Euro kook Koa Smith. What a cunt ay
Lol they do seem to tap into the same sort of proto-influencer vibes. Gotta bring home the cash somehow, can’t blame them.
Never surfed with koa but have been in the water with nic and he is a class act. Paradoxically humble. Def not a kook.
Haha good onya and you’re probably right. I just see he cops a heap of flak for blowing up under the radar joints and that spelling of his name with no k just gives me the shits too. Plus where did that seppo accent come from? You sure he’s not a cunt haha
No pipe today?