If we talk about giant and perfect swells at Praia do Norte in Nazaré, it's impossible not to mention this day. It was undoubtedly one of the biggest and most perfect days in the history of big wave surfing. That's why I like to call it a Red Code day in Nazaré, comparable to the legendary Red Code days in Tahiti, when the ocean reveals its full potential at a big wave break.
My first memory of that day is being at Porto do Abrigo, where the surfers prepared to head out to the lighthouse with their jet skis. The nervousness was palpable... you could cut the air with a knife. Nervousness, anxiety, stress, adrenaline, concentration... all these emotions filled the air in the sheds where the surfers were putting on their gear to tackle the world's biggest waves.
Great personalities had flocked to Portugal to ride this swell, and everyone was there, exchanging ideas about which boards to use, which fins, and whether the jet skis were ready. They were making sure all the communication equipment was set up and that everyone knew their roles perfectly.
Then, it was time to head out. I had a radio and could hear the surfers' adrenaline-fueled shouts as they approached the break. Even as they left the port, they couldn't believe the size of the waves.
Once there, the conditions were ideal. It wasn't just an extremely large swell but also perfectly aligned, coming from the right direction, with the wind helping the waves form perfectly. All the surfers had to do was stay aligned and connected with the sea to make the right decisions and catch the best wave in the series.
For me, records were undoubtedly broken that day. The first wave was by Lucas Chumbo, breaking behind peak 0, what many call Big Mama. I remember seeing them go after the wave that was forming back there. Lucas was positioned in the perfect spot to drop down the wave, making a vertical and deep line. The wave began to draw those white water trails that make it look even bigger and more vertical. At the base of the wave, the water was churned up, full of air due to the previous wave that had broken, making this area a giant hazard as the fins of the board don't grip securely. Another danger, imperceptible to those who weren't there, is that this wave breaks over the lighthouse, a bit to the left, carrying you towards the cliffs below. A fall could mean being dragged towards the giant rocks without stopping. If we take the second wave in the video as a reference, this first one broke even further to the left. That's why, even though the conditions were perfect, the dangers remained gigantic or even greater.
What follows in the video is a compilation of waves from different moments of a day of extremely giant waves. If we were to call a Red Code day in Nazaré, the conditions would be like those you can see in this video. I think it would be 100% comparable to a Red Code day in Tahiti. However, we could also say that Nazaré, being Nazaré, is in a constant state of Red Code.
Enjoy this epic day of surfing and witness the incredible power of Nazaré's waves!
#Nazaré #BigWaveSurfing #RedCode #LucasChumbo #SurfingLegends #ExtremeSurfing #PraiaDoNorte
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