Quick Look
Nazaré showing it's more than just big waves
Dec 12, 2025
39.6016° N, 9.0678° W
I woke up one morning with plans to do some life admin: gym, tan, laundry, the works. I ended up at the airport that afternoon.
Day 0: Madrid to Nazaré
While I was in Sevilla last weekend, my friends had visited Nazaré, the big wave capital of the world. It has always been on the bucket list to see the biggest waves in the world, and moreso to see the actual competition. My friend got lucky and saw some huge waves while they were there; something that isn’t always guaranteed.
I thought: Alright, Nazaré has some big waves right now. Maybe something to look into.
On Wednesday, the yellow alert went out that there was a chance they would run the comp on Saturday. So we looked up flights, logistics, whatever, and decided it wasn’t worth it. The flights were expensive, it was super last minute, it just wouldn’t work. Besides I had laundry to do.
I woke up Friday with a feeling I was making a mistake. And I was. Sometimes you just gotta let life interfere.
Four hours later I was at the airport, booked and packed for who knows what. My friends couldn’t quite swing the last minute trip, so I was off solo.
First solo trip! And first same day flight. And first Nazaré big waves. Lots of firsts. Lots of nerves.
I had about an hour and half between my flight landing in Lisbon and my bus to Nazaré. Let me tell you, that was not sufficient time and ya boy wasn't even close to making it. Luckily, I had a feeling, and I had bought another ticket for an hour later that morning as well. I was definitely feeling nervous in Lisbon: first trip and I already missed my bus. But hey, we’re learning how to do hard things in new places, alone.
Late night arrival in Nazaré. It’s raining so I uber to the hostel, check in, and naturally get some kebab at the local kebab spot. I’d end up there 3 times in the same weekend, yet again, for the second weekend in a row.
Early night and some excitement on the horizon.
Day 2: Nazaré Big Wave Challenge
5:30 wake up. I wasn’t sure how big this hillside and viewing space was going to be so I wanted to get there early. My bag was locked and loaded with food, water, and power. I wasn’t planning on leaving my spot for hours in case I needed to stay put. And I did. For about 5 or 6 hours.
I took the funicular up and found my spot. I got there with plenty of time and my first impression was crazy. These waves are freaking massive! There is no way to do it justice in a photo or video. I was plenty far away and I could still feel the raw power of the cliff rumbling.
They said it was going to be the biggest and best in the last 10 years. And it certainly didn’t disappoint. The waves were supposedly 60-70 ft. Imagine a 7 story building coming at you and thinking: Yeah, let me grab my jet ski so I can go surf that.
Could never be me
Beach Break Madness
Screaming
Prefer to be up here
The comp was separated into six 40-minute heats. So when you heard the horn you knew it was going down. There was an announcer, of sorts, higher up on the hillside in the overflow area, but I couldn’t hear him. I was just happily watching from my spot. Throughout the day more and more people filled in, but I stayed my ass put. I started sitting on my backpack for awhile because it was so muddy, but my legs were dying. Should have brought a little chair.
The weather did get a little funky so the heats were a little spaced out for quality purposes, making sure everyone gets the same shot at the wave of the day. I watched for awhile, but since I wasn’t sure exactly what was happening, around 2 PM, I decided to go grab some real lunch outside of my PB&H's (peanut butter & honey). Back to kebab.
Little did I know, that the competition actually had to get cancelled early! Apparently, there was a power outage that prevented the spotters that help the rescue jet skis find the surfers after their wave. So they only did the first 3 heats, which would have been a bummer, but honestly I had no idea! I was just happy to be watching. And even without the last 3 heats, I feel like I saw a lot of waves get caught. Some absolute screamers, some wipeouts, and some sick turns. My camera was already filled to the brim and after NYX shoot and Sevilla, I was running out of space.
Solo Trip!
With 1,000 others
After lunch, I did some work and chilled. Needed downtime.
I went back up to the cliffside for sunset and just enjoyed. Stunning.
That night, I went to dinner with some new friends from Michigan and Australia. Australian guy was giving all sorts of recommendations, and they're sounding pretty sweet.
During the trip, I was speaking in Spanish to the majority of the Portuguese, because more of them speak Spanish than English. I was talking to our server at dinner after a delicious sote fish meal since Portugal has some phenomenal seafood.
This lady looks at my plate and is like: Oh honey, you haven’t eaten the other half of your fish!
And I’m like: What other half? I can’t pick through all these fish bones for that. No vale la pena.
So she's like: Oh honey... and flips it over to reveal the other half of very eatable filet.
I was already full so she cut it all up for me and put it in a box for lunch the next day. A very sweet gesture followed by a story. Essentially, we found out that she and her sisters are the owners, and they started it because their mom had passed and it was her dream to start this restaurant. She continues her absolutely adorable story, hands us a magnet, and bids a warm farewell.
Then, as we’re paying, the girl from Michigan pays the whole thing in cash. I figure I'll Venmo her but she stops me says: I don't have Venmo or anything like that. Just pay it forward to the next person, and we'll call it even.
Traveling, man. You really meet some awesome people.
Day 2: Nazaré, the fishing village.
Free day in Nazaré! Not a lot to do honestly. It's originally just a small fishing village prior to the waves being discovered. Or really, recognized as surfable. They've always been there, just apart of the Portugese coastline.
I started walking around, but you can kinda see the whole town in about 45 minutes. So I grabbed some breakfast at the grocery store and ate while I watched some surfers on the inside break. It was super clean and some people were getting some good ones.
Then, I went back up to the cliffs and just watched the surfers. The swell died significantly, only like 20 feet today. Only. People were still getting towed in, but also some paddlers took their shot. Since it was so small, the towed in surfers were ripppping. I saw a guy get barreled and then do a chop-hop 360. I listened to my podcast and just relaxed for the day.
Went back. Lunch. Hostal workout. My entire room had checked out so I had the room to myself. Epic.
Met another Aussie. Confirmed that Melbourne is the spot to be.
Back up to the beach for sunset. Incredible sunset tonight.
Probably another kebab. Early night before departure.
Famous lighthouse
Had to
Coolest souvenir
Wow
Day 3: Nazaré to Madrid
Bus to Lisbon. Lounge work. Way too many Pepsis. Ya está.
What a trip.
