By Isabel Campbell — Discover Nazaré, the Portuguese fishing village that became the world capital of big-wave surfing thanks to an underwater canyon unlike any other.

Giant wave at Praia do Norte, Nazare, Portugal

Nazaré is a small fishing village located in the central part of Portugal, about 100 km north of Lisbon. For centuries, it was barely known for its fishermen and their traditional clothing. Today, it is the most famous place in the world for surfing — and the reason is geological, not accidental.

The secret lies beneath the sea

Nazaré’s beach is famous for amplifying the power and height of the waves thanks to the so-called Nazaré Canyon, which is 4,300 meters deep and 210 kilometers long, the only one in the world that ends directly at the coast. This underwater formation channels and amplifies Atlantic waves as they approach the Portuguese coast, as a result of thousands of years of tectonic activity and erosion.

The story of the records

It all began on November 1, 2011, when surfer Garrett McNamara surfed a 23.77-meter wave in Nazaré, breaking the world record. Since then, the Big Wave Challenge at the iconic Praia do Norte caught the attention of the entire world.

That record was surpassed in 2017, then in 2020, and the current record is held by the German Sebastian Steudtner: on February 28, 2024, he surfed a wave of more than 28.57 meters in Nazaré, Portugal. That is equivalent to a building of almost 10 floors.

And the story does not end there: in December 2025, the Brazilian Rodrigo Koxa rode a wave whose initial estimates place it between 27 and 29 meters, which could once again challenge the record.

A woman also in history

In 2020, the Brazilian Maya Gabeira set the Guinness record for the largest wave ever surfed by a woman, with a wave of 22.40 meters during the WSL Tow Challenge.

Nazaré is not big by accident. It is big because beneath its waters there is an oceanic canyon unlike any other in the world, which turns every Atlantic storm into something superhuman. A destination for travelers seeking unique experiences in Europe, and New Way Travel has it for you. 😊

By Isabel Campbell