The waves that form off the coast of Nazare, Portugal are world renowned for their extreme size and power. Big wave surfers monitor weather forecasts and keep their eyes on marine and buoy forecasts, so they can be ready to go at a moment’s notice when a big swell is on the way and Nazare will be firing.
A drone captured just how gnarly Nazare really is during a massive swell. Non-surfers will wonder why jet ski teams attempt to motor into the giant waves and why surfers attempt to paddle into waves of that magnitude. A lot is at stake when heading into big waves. Lives are on the line and it takes super experienced watermen and women to survive the nearly non-existent line up at Nazare. Mountains of water break all over the place.
The footage captured by the drone shows just what it takes to survive a big wave wipeout with a surfer, a jet ski, and jet ski driver. This particular incident occurred on February 16,2018, just as Portugal’s big wave season was coming to an end. The video begins with professional surfer Alex Botelho trying to paddle into a giant wave. Botelho is engulfed by the monster, losing his board during the wipeout. Another set wave slams him and pushes him down. His teammate, Hugo Vau, was idling nearby on his jet ski and sees what is happening and motors in to help to Botelho. A life threatening situation begins to unfold when a massive wave approaches and takes out both men and the PWC.
More set waves approach and the guys are left floundering for the ski as it’s tumbled when they try to scramble for it. The crew is rag-dolled, held down, and beat up by the oncoming waves. Miraculously, they survive and the PWC only suffers minor damage.
Thanks to footage captured by drones, GoPro’s, and other camera equipment, we have the luxury of sitting in front of our computer monitors and are able witness scenes like this from the safety of our homes. Giant Nazare is not a break for inexperienced surfers. Fortunately, Botelho and Vau have trained and continue to train for big wave surfing. They know what to do during a dangerous wipeout and thankfully, they survived this one.
