When the first big swell of the season arrived in Praia do Norte, Nazare, in early January, the usual suspects were on it. Of note, were Justine Dupont, Lucas Chumbo, Fred David, and Ross Clarke Jones taking turns towing into some bombs. The swell wasn’t the largest on record nor were any biggest wave ridden entries going to be made. It doesn’t take a record-breaking swell for things to go awry.
Chumbo had put Dupont into a bomb and as she was making her bottom turn, her board dug a rail, sending her into a cauldron of doom. Dupont was then annihilated by several huge waves and pushed toward the dangerous outcropping of rocks. Dupont was getting thrashed near the rocks when David was the first to try to reach her. He mistimed his reach and had to bail and run along the rocks.
Fortunately, Chumbo was able to swoop in and grab her before she was thrown into the rocks. Check it out in Dupont’s Instagram post. The pictures really show the gravity of the situation and the will to survive anything! The sixth picture puts it all into perspective. Dupont’s fitness level and ability to remain calm as a mountain of water is about to unload on her, is next level.
The amount of time these athletes spend training in and out of the water is testament to Dupont surviving to tell another epic wipeout story. She has many! Â Dupont is a true water woman, and the guys are some of the best watermen in the business. The surfing community around the world will be buzzing about this one for a while, thanks to the epic capture by the photogs on scene.
