Madeira is a tiny island chain in the Atlantic with a reputation for big waves. A Portuguese territory, the small volcanic islands were a significant part of William Finnegan’s Barbarian Days, with ‘ol Bill having some hair-raising stories to share after his time there.
Despite Finnegan’s glowing description of the island’s waves, the location never seemed to get popular, in part because one of the best waves on the island, Jardim do Mar, was ruined by a seawall that made the wave far too dangerous to surf on anything but the biggest and most perfect days, like in the video above.
