Despite the uproar over the surf ban at Nazaré, surfing is still banned at Nazaré. That means that surfers like Nic von Rupp have to find other places to go when there’s pumping swell for two weeks straight. Luckily, the Portuguese coastline is chock-full of waves. One of those waves is Cave — but it’s one of Portugal’s most-feared spots.
“Cave is such an insane wave,” von Rupp said. “It’s a perfect wave until it isn’t. Deadly heads of rocks stick out of the water right in the line you have to take to make it. You never know what to expect out there: the ride of your life or a ticket to hell. Many surfers have broken their backs out there.”
This time, however, it was a success. Nic, along with Miguel Blanco, Antonio Silva, João Guedes, and Pedro Levi donned their helmets and lucked into some incredible rides… and most importantly, no one got hurt.
