Fifty-foot surf in the Western Azores? It could happen. Photo: Yves Alarie
The Azores are an archipelago comprised of nine volcanic islands rising from the seafloor in the middle of the Atlantic Basin. They are a guaranteed swell magnet, sitting almost 1,000 miles off the coast of Portugal and as a result, are consistently affected by Atlantic weather systems. One particular weather system, the named-storm Hurricane Lorenzo, is on track to slam into the Azores this week.
The forecast, courtesy of Magicseaweed.com
Hurricane Lorenzo has been record-setting thus far, the strongest recorded storm so far “north and east” in the Atlantic Basin. It turned into a Category 5 on Saturday night in the Central Atlantic, as reported by CNN. The path is looking to pass by the Western Azores on Tuesday evening, bringing high winds, heavy rains, and very, very large surf (some reports are calling for 70-foot waves).
The Azores are filled with uncrowded, difficult-to-reach surf spots that are wide open to the power of the Atlantic. Lajes Das Flores is an island to the westernmost point of the chain and closest to Hurricane Lorenzo’s track. According to Magicseaweed.com, the forecast for a spot called Fajazinha is looking to peak Wednesday morning at 50 feet at 19 seconds. Wow! We’ll let you know more as we get further correspondence from surfers connected to the islands. Until then, we leave you with a little Azores throwback vid, below.
