A Onda Perfeita, Nazaré

Text and Photography by Mart Engelen

Nazaré in Portugal is renowned for its gigantic waves. The town draws elite surfers who, seemingly without fear, face the immense Atlantic swells. Needless to say, Nazaré had to be in my road trip along the Atlantic. Nazaré was a typical sleepy seaside hamlet until surfers started flocking to it to chase the massive waves that local fishermen had always feared. An underwater feature, the Nazaré Canyon, concentrates huge Atlantic swells in the depths before eventually focusing them on Praia do Norte (North Beach). Towering cliffs create a grandstand for crowds and the lighthouse at the Fort of Sao Miguel Arcanjo offers some perspective to judge the monstrous waves by and so Nazaré is spectacular for viewers and a treat (or torment) for surfers. It was inevitable that images of the biggest waves would captivate both surfers and non-surfers. Unusually, and unlike other surfing locations around the world where the ocean floor is rock or coral reef, Nazaré’s big waves break over sand. While reefs create consistency and offer predictable spots for surfers to take off from, Nazaré has massive waves that break over the sandbars that run along the entire beach. In October 2020, Sebastian Steudtner made surfing history as he surfed a colossal 86-foot (26-metre) wave at Nazaré. The German holds the Guinness World Record for surfing the “Largest Wave (Male)”. For the leading lights of the surfing world like Sebastian Steudtner, Justine Dupont, Garrett McNamara, Nazaré has become a mandatory stop in their pursuit of the world’s biggest waves. Today, although the town capitalises on its waves’ fame, it has fortunately kept its authentic charm and so it is wonderful to hang out there and enjoy great food, sunshine and friendly, laid-back hospitality to complement the art of surfing.