Nazaré Waves

Nazaré is a small coastal town in Portugal, in the area known as the Silver Coast. It became famous for its massive, huge waves. Nazaré has always been a great summer destination, but now, with the help of brave surfers, it attracts many people in the winter months as well!

Keep reading to learn what makes the Nazaré waves so special.

Nazaré Canyon & Waves Formation

The main reason for the huge waves in Nazaré is the Nazaré Canyon, which is an underwater geomorphological phenomenon. It is the largest underwater canyon in Europe, stretching almost 230 km (141 miles) with a depth of at least 5 km (3 miles).

The combination of tides, winds and this abrupt canyon create the 100 ft waves of Nazaré. On our tour to Nazaré we explain all of this in detail!

The Praia do Norte Beach

The Praia do Norte (North Beach) is where all this magic happens! It is one of the most famous big wave surf locations in the world, attracting surfers and bodyboarders. The beach is long and expansive.

Record-Breaking Waves

Seven of the 10 biggest waves ever surfed in the World, took place in Nazaré. Sometimes our guests in the tours don’t believe when we say this – the World knows Jaws, but Nazaré is finally getting the deserved prestige!

Every Portuguese that lives close enough to Nazaré, knows that in the Winter there would be a given Sunday where we’d travel with our parents to see if we could see the big waves. At that time, there were no surfers… even the fishermen stayed inland. That is until 2009, when Garrett McNamara realized that the waves of Nazaré should be part of the big wave circuit! And he did it; not only he beat the World Record in 2011, but he also helped spreading the word about Nazaré by living in Portugal, and doing a couple documentaries about the big waves in Nazaré.

Best Time to See Nazaré Big Waves in 2024

The best time to witness the gigantic waves is during the winter months, specially between October and March, when the winds are strong, and all the factors combine to create giant waves. Even when the waves are not breaking records, they can still reach impressive heights of 60 ft. This is a boring height for the big wave pro surfer, but an amazing sight to see!

Big Wave Surfing Challenges

Surfing the big waves in Nazaré is highly dangerous, and only professional big wave surfers are allowed to do it. Jet ski assistance is required, so the teams must all be very well prepared. The challenges happen during the winter months and they have big sponsor names like Tudor, Red Bull, WSL, and more.

There are also documentaries(opens in a new tab) being recorded, photography and videography contests taking place during these events.

If you want to learn more about Nazaré, and visit this picturesque town, you can join one of our tours. You can opt to join our Fátima, Nazaré & Óbidos Tour(opens in a new tab) or you can request to customize a tour to Nazaré(opens in a new tab) if you’d like to spend more time there.