Offshore of the fishing village of Nazaré, Portugal, lies a deep underwater canyon that creates one of the world’s largest swells from October to March of every year.
That has made Nazaré a mecca for the world’s best big-wave surfers, and every winter tens of thousands of tourists come there to watch. Their presence has rescued the village’s once-faltering economy.
The waves are so big the surfers have to be towed out by jet skis. Paddling won’t do. The surf can reach heights approaching 100 feet, potentially deadly for surfers who don’t know what they’re doing, although so far no one has been killed at Nazaré, unlike some other surfing locations, even though its waves are considered the most dangerous anywhere.
That’s partly because the sport is highly organized and includes rescue teams.
Nazaré surfing is a new game. It didn’t exist before 2010.
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