Surfers take on giant waves in Portugal as extreme weather hits Europe
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Brazilian big wave surfer Lucas Chianca rides a wave in Praia do Norte, Nazare, Portugal.
PHOTO: REUTERS
NAZARE – Brazilian surfer Lucas Chianca won the Nazare Big Wave Challenge on Jan 22 as 10 metre-plus waves hit the Portuguese coast, with extreme weather wreaking havoc around Europe.
After waiting for almost two months for a big swell in a quiet season in Nazare, the competition started with 7.5m waves and wrapped up with 10m-plus walls late in the afternoon, but never reached the potential 15m-foot swell that had been forecast.
“This is a dream for me, I never expected to win so many times here,” said Chianca, who won five times in Nazare. “This place is magical, Nazare has given me everything in my life.”
Portugal’s Nazare boasts arguably the biggest ridable waves in the world, magnified by an underwater canyon 5km deep.
It ends where the North Atlantic meets the shoreline near the former fishing village.
Hawaiian Garrett McNamara put Nazare on the map in 2011 when he set a then-world record for the biggest wave ever surfed at 23.7m.
Brazilian Rodrigo Koxa bettered McNamara’s mark in 2017, also at Nazare, and German Sebastian Steudtner broke the record again there in 2020, surfing a 26.2m wave.
On Jan 22, it was not the biggest Nazare can deliver, but Chianca put on a show with plenty of walls to work on and caught the best wave of the day, scoring 7.83 to become champion. He also won the best team competition alongside compatriot Pedro Scooby.
Maya Gabeira beat Michelle des Bouillons to win the women’s title in another all-Brazilian showdown.
The competition is over but more waves are expected as extreme weather has been causing travel disruptions and power outages around Europe.
French big wave surfer Clement Roseyro rides a wave in Praia do Norte, Nazare, Portugal, on Jan 22.
Hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled in many European countries over the last few days, while snowstorms wreaked havoc on the roads in Spain and Austria.
Britain’s rail network was disrupted, flights were cancelled and thousands of homes were left without power on Jan 22 after the country was battered by Storm Isha overnight.
Scotland was worst hit as gusts of over 144kmh led to the cancellation of all train services. Dozens of flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow airports were also cancelled.
Trains in some parts of southern England were affected, including services between London to Gatwick Airport. UK Power Networks said it had restored power to most properties which had lost electricity in eastern and south-eastern England, but about 45,000 homes in Northern Ireland remained without power.
Across the North Sea, Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on Jan 21 cancelled dozens of flights scheduled for Jan 22 as a preventive measure because of the strong winds expected in the Netherlands.
Airlines also cancelled 102 flights into and out of Dublin on Jan 21. REUTERS