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Surfing off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal, McNamara was towed into this monster. |
Garrett dwarfed by the watery giant chasing him down towards the Portuguese coastline.
Garrett McNamara has ‘reportedly’ made history by breaking the current record of the biggest wave ever surfed. The wave, ridden during the two-month period of the ZON North Canyon Show 2011, said to be around 90 feet high.
Towing in off Nazaré (about one hour’s drive north of Peniche where the recent ASP world tour event was held), which is home to one of the only deep-water canyons that runs all the way to shore, Garrett’s wave was witnessed by tow buddies Andrew Cotton from the UK, and Al Mennie from Ireland.
“Everything seemed to be perfect”, said Al, “the weather, the waves. Both Cotty and I rode two big ones in the 60ft + range and then when Garrett got on the rope a wave, maybe 30 feet bigger came out of the canyon, it was meant to be. I had the best seat in the house as I was doing water safety on the ski as he dropped down the face of the biggest wave I’ve ever seen. It was incredible. Most people would look scared but Garrett looked in control as he went down the most critical part of the wave. It was an inspirational ride by an inspirational surfer. After the ride it was as if the sea calmed down. We sat out there and just absorbed both what had just happened and the surroundings. What a day!”
McNamara, who has been spending quite some time in the area working with the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute to understand how the waves reach such an abnormal height, has been humbled by the experience saying, “I feel so blessed and honoured to have been invited to explore this canyon and its special town. The waves here are such a mystery”.
According to the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute, “the proximity of the ‘Nazaré Canyon’ to Praia do Norte creates a situation that greatly increases the swells intensity. The conditions of the swell and wind direction observed on this day exemplify this phenomenon”. “By 9:00 AM, the monitor on the buoys registered a swell with around 8m near Nazaré. With a WNW swell direction with favourable wind, it is reasonable to conclude that this wave had a significant swelling effect, which is characteristic of this place.”
Garrett McNamara is back in Portugal to embark on another mission exploring the waves of Nazaré, in the ZON North Canyon Show 2011. The “Nazaré Canyon” is a rare geographical phenomenon, the biggest in Europe and one of the largest in the world, which can be explained as a gap on the continental plate with 170 kilometers of length and 5 kilometers of depth. The “Nazaré Canyon”, that is located right in front of Praia do Norte, receives the swells from the Atlantic Ocean and creates waves with abnormal size, compared to the rest of the Portuguese coast.
To follow all the developments of the ZON North Canyon Show 2011 visit the official website: www.praiadonorte.com.pt.
