It’s time again: The Big Wave Challenge in Nazare is just around the corner and a storm low over Greenland provides the massive WNW swell necessary to wake up the monster.The swell arriving on Friday is the result of a low in southern Greenland paired with a high in Nova Scotia. This high/low combination and wind forces of up to 40 knots should give us a swell of about 30 feet.
The swell arrives in the night from Thursday to Friday and will reach its maximum in the morning hours on Friday and remain more or less constant throughout the day. The faces of the wave are estimated at 20-30 feet, with the largest waves of the day reaching 35 feet.
You can see what this can look like here:
Certainly not a feel-good place and certainly not for people with weak nerves.
Here you can see a lineup which is up to these conditions:
Round 1 Matchups:
Heat 1: Billy Kemper (HAW), Lucas Chianca (BRA), Greg Long (USA), Nathan Florence (HAW), Francisco Porcella (ITA), Antonia Silva (PRT
)Heat 2: Ian Walsh (HAW), Tom Lowe (GBR), Will Skudin (USA), Russell Bierke (AUS), João De Macedo (PRT), Rodrigo Koxa (BRA)
Heat 3: Kai Lenny (HAW), Jamie Mitchell (AUS), Natxo Gonzalez (EUK), Jojo Roper (USA), Pedro Calado (BRA), Hugo Vau (PRT)
Heat 4: Makuakai Rothman (HAW), Alex Botelho (PRT), Grant Baker (ZAF), Nic Lamb (USA), Nic von Rupp (PRT), João Guedes (PRT
)
This is what the heats of the first round look like.
You can see all the fun on the WSL website.
