The latest edit from Tim Bonython tells the stories of women who have been training to conquer the biggest wave in the world. Though there are a host of female surfers who charge Nazare, Bonython focuses on three in particular: Katie McConnell, Michaela Fregonese and Polly Ralda. The video combines surfing footage with talking head interviews to get a sense of not only the logistics of riding Nazare, but also the personal journeys that got these women to Praia do Norte.
Nazaré is a unique place, to say the least. While it’s one of the biggest waves in the world, it’s also essentially a massive beachbreak. An enormous underwater canyon funnels in swell and multiplies wave height by the time it reaches Praia do Norte. When it does arrive, waves break all over the place, with no predictable takeoff point or safe zone.
“It can be a bit of a cat-and-mouse-type feeling, because there’s no channel, for the most part,” explained Katie McConnell. “Sometimes you can zig-zag in between waves, but if you get caught inside, you’re caught inside. Often, at least for me, even if you have dedicated Jet Ski support, it’s such a challenge for any driver to go into the inside and pick somebody up. You still have to train and almost surf as if you don’t have a Jet Ski”
Though most of us are accustomed to watching Nazare regulars like Lucas Chianca or Sebastian Steudtner at Nazare, it is truly interesting to witness surfers who are at the beginning of their big wave journeys. Some of their experiences are totally alien to the average surfer, while others are all too familiar. For instance, at one point McConnell describes having the same sort of Dunning-Kruger effect that many beginner surfers go through. “I think I started off going on some pretty giant days,” she laughs. “This year, now that I have a little more experience, I felt almost more daunted at first.”
The other thing the three have in common with the average surfer is that, now that they’ve started, they’re absolutely hooked. From the video, it’s clear that this is just the beginning for these three. Can’t wait to see where the journey takes them.
