“Swell of the year” forecasts can often be a double-edged sword. On one hand, hype is hype for a reason, and systems that pop up over the Atlantic Ocean and are aimed right at Nazaré are nothing to scoff at. On the other hand, when a swell gets slapped with a “largest swell of the year — thus far” label, there is a lot of room for said swell to come up short.
This weekend’s Nazaré Big Wave Challenge lived up to the hype early on, with the largest waves of the day concentrated through the morning. Waves unloaded alongside the cliff at Praia do Norte in the range of 45 to 60 feet, and the person arguably charging the hardest of them all, Lucas Chianca, endured Nazaré’s biggest beatings while earning the day’s highest single-surfer honor, the Best Performer award, in the men’s field.
“That was a heavy moment for sure,” Chianca said. “It was one of the heaviest wipeouts of my life. I want to thank Sebastian Steudtner for picking me up right in front of the rocks, he saved my life today. The day started really gnarly, but we tried our best. Pedro ‘Scooby’ Vianna put me on some bombs, and I put him on some bombs. Thanks to Nazaré for putting on a show and to WSL for making this happen.”
Nic von Rupp and Clement Roseyro collected a win for the Best Team Performance while Justine Dupont continued her run of dominance in women’s big wave surfing, earning Women’s Best Performer honors for the second time in 2025. Dupont won the same award when the event ran last February.
“It was a crazy day, and I’m so happy with the win,” said Dupont. “I just want to thank Eric (Rebiere), he is the best driver out there, and of course Fred. Thanks to the safety team, and Nazaré for a fun day.”
“We took a chance to run this event on one of the biggest swells, and the athletes rose to the challenge, competing in the best waves of the day. It was a day of incredible performances,” said Francisco Spinola, WSL President, EMEA. “We did have to end the event after Round 1 due to technical difficulties and running out of daylight, but it’s imperative we do not compromise the integrity of the competition and that we make the best decision for the safety of the surfers. The most important win is when the surfers arrive back in the athlete area safe and sound, and that’s what happened, in very heavy conditions. It was an epic day of surfing and congratulations to all our competitors.”
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