Things could get big and perfect this weekend. Photo: WSL
Nazaré is looking primed to show the best version of itself this weekend with wave faces up to 60 feet groomed by offshore winds. Portuguese big wave charger Nic Von Rupp is eyeing the swell, claiming it could be one for the ages.
“I have high hopes for this swell,” von Rupp said on Instagram. “It could be one of the best swells since 2022.”
Surfline’s Kevin Wallis backed this up, calling it one of the “more impressive” swells of the last couple years with set waves reaching up to 75 feet.
Current models are calling for the west-northwest swell to build Friday, and peak in the evening at around 14 feet at an 18 second interval. Luckily, winds are expected to be light out of the north and northeast, a good direction to keep the wave faces clean at Nazaré.
“We are looking at some giant, giant waves for this weekend – conditions that don’t happen every day,” von Rupp said. “We’ve been waiting for a swell like this for quite some time.”
“Last year we had some massive waves with stormy conditions,” he added. “This year we are looking at storms that are being formed on the other side of the Atlantic right by Greenland, and are traveling through the Atlantic until they reach Nazaré.”
Von Rupp said they’ve already had three good days of big wave surfing at Nazaré this month, but this weekend will be “a different level.”
The WSL is also paying close attention to this swell, putting the Nazaré Challenge on standby for a possible run on Saturday, December 13.
Von Rupp is slated to be one of the 18 participants in the event, joining a tow team with France’s Clement Roseyro – the winner of last weekend’s Punta Galea Challenge. Justine Dupont, who won the women’s division, will also participate.
It’s going to be a wild weekend of North Atlantic surfing. Let’s hope the forecast holds.
