It has been a while since the first-ever Nazaré Big Wave Tow Surfing Challenge. Decades, in internet time. But the event was so wild that the highlight reel/recap, just released by the WSL, is worth the watch even all these days later.
The waves were big. Like, 40- to 50-feet big. To those used to watching plain ol’ surfing events, the format might’ve felt a little confusing, but that’s because the event is unlike any event in surfing. Tow teams consisting of the best big wave surfers in the world spent six hours hunting down the biggest waves they could find. Afterward, they all sat down and judged each other.
The Rides of the Day ended up going to Kai Lenny and Justine Dupont, the Best Team award went to the “Young Bulls” which was Kai Lenny and Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca. And finally, the well-earned Commitment Award went to the hard-working Water Safety Team for their efforts in keeping everyone safe and literally saving Alex Botelho’s life.
It was a day that will not be forgotten — although Kai and Justine won the best rides, every surfer in the event did things that could easily be described as “historic.” Far be it from us, however, to be hyperbolic, so we’ll just leave that up to you to decide.
