Nazaré (Praia do Norte) Surf Season
Leiria, Portugal · part of the Nazaré (Praia do Norte) spot guide
Nazaré is a North Atlantic winter wave. The prime window is October through March, core months November through February, with February especially productive — that is when deep lows between Iceland, Greenland and the Azores fire the long-period W–NW groundswell down the canyon axis. From May through August the Atlantic goes quiet and it is small to flat.
The big-wave events ride this window: the tow challenges and the documented record rides cluster from late October through February, when a bombing North Atlantic low can line its fetch up with the canyon and turn a modest-looking forecast into a record day.
Where the swell comes from
The engine is the North Atlantic storm track — deep Icelandic lows fetching long-period W–NW groundswell at Iberia. Rodrigo Koxa’s 2017 record came out of a roughly 956 mb storm near the tip of Greenland; that kind of long, aligned fetch is the template for a giant Nazaré day.
Historic swells at Nazaré (Praia do Norte)
McNamara — 78 ft
Garrett McNamara’s Guinness-ratified 78-foot ride put Nazaré on the world map and launched the modern big-wave era at Praia do Norte.
Koxa — 80 ft world record
Rodrigo Koxa’s 80-foot wave, out of a ~956 mb Greenland storm, was ratified as the largest wave ever surfed at the time and won the WSL Biggest Wave award.
Gabeira — 73.5 ft (women’s record)
Maya Gabeira set the women’s world record at the inaugural Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge, a Guinness-ratified mark.
Steudtner — 86 ft (men’s record)
Sebastian Steudtner’s 86-foot ride, ratified in 2022, stands as the official largest wave ever surfed.