Tim Bonython loves pointing his camera at waves of serious consequence. He’s the creator of a series on YouTube called the Terror Vault (be terrified here, here, and here), so it makes sense that he loves Portugal. In particular, he loves Nazaré. But because of COVID, Bonython, who calls Australia home, hasn’t been able to do what he loves. But with the recent giant swell pointed towards Nazaré and restrictions relaxing, he made it his mission to get there.
“Finally I am back in the land of plenty,” he wrote. “After two years of being locked in Australia, I got the green pass to travel again. So as I treat Nazaré in Portugal as my second home, I got the fastest flight over here.”
He knew it was going to be good — he’s spent enough time there that he knows what works and what doesn’t — but as it turned out, it was better than anyone expected. He’s seen a lot of giant waves, but the paddle session that went down in the first week was on a different level.
“Week one was epic,” he continued. “Literally some of the best big-wave paddle sessions I have shot here at the home of the biggest ridable waves. Three-time world big-wave champion Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker set the pace with some all-time rides. This was truly history in the making.”
