Praia do Norte (Nazaré)

Praia do Norte (‘North Beach’) is a beach located in Nazaré, portuguese Oeste region, which due to its giant white breaking waves is famed for its surfing conditions. Nazaré's waves were listed on the Guinness Book of Records for the biggest waves ever surfed.

Overview
Praia do Norte’s very high breaking waves form due to the presence of the underwater Nazaré Canyon. The canyon creates constructive interference between incoming swell waves which tends to make the waves much larger.

In November 2011, surfer Garrett McNamara, who resides in Hawai'i, surfed a record-breaking giant wave: 78 ft from trough to crest, at Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal. On 28 January 2013, McNamara returned to the spot and successfully surfed a wave that appeared even larger, but is awaiting an official measurement as of November 2018.

On November 8, 2017, Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa took the record by surfing an 80 ft wave at Praia do Norte which was captured in a video that went viral over social media.

On January, 2018, Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira got the record for biggest wave surfed by a woman at 20.8 m (68 ft) a record that Gabeira would break again on February 11, 2020, by surfing a wave that measured 22.4 m (73.5 ft).

On October 29, 2020, German surfer Sebastian Steudtner broke the previous record by surfing an 26.2 m (86 ft) wave.