In the days leading up to November 18, there was a lot of buzz around Nazaré. The Big Wave Tour decided to run the Nazaré despite the giant purple blob on the charts. The swell simply looked too big and too unruly to run an event, so they chose a bit of a cleaner run of swell. The hype increased to frantic level. Garrett McNamara claimed it was going to be the “biggest and best conditions we have ever seen in the history of surfing!!!” It was one of the biggest swells in five years.
When it arrived, though, it was a little off. The direction wasn’t exactly right for those building-sized teepees Nazaré is so famous for. The waves were still gigantic, but the hype put a bit of a damper on things.
“Luckily, the waves were still firing at around 50-60 feet, which I’ll happily accept,” wrote Steve Cummings, a.k.a. Jacuzzi Surfer, who was behind the camera for the footage you see above. “These surfers are some of the most talented surfers in the world, and tamed these beasts better than I’ve ever seen.”
