Nazare Big Wave Challenge Gets Yellow Alert, Could Run Saturday in Giant Waves

With huge waves and favourable winds forecast for this Saturday, 13th December at Nazare, the WSL has issued a yellow alert to run the Tudor Nazare Big Wave Challenge. Our animated wave maps show a low pressure system forming in the North Atlantic this week and tracking towards the Portuguese big-wave spot.

Surf-Forecast has a 9-star rating and an energy above 8000 kilojoules stemming from a four metre, 17-second period swell. Offshore winds blowing from the NE are also predicted for most of the day. Crucially, the swell direction is from the NW (306 degrees), which is the optimal direction for the amplification of wave heights caused by the offshore deepwater Nazare Canyon.

But enough of the science, you say. How goddamn big will it be, you ask. The swell is expected to build Friday afternoon, max out overnight and early morning Saturday, before gradually dropping off on Saturday afternoon. Wave heights can be expected to be around the 50 to 70 foot range, though there is every chance bigger waves could be ridden by the competitors.

The one-day event has a window that runs to the 1st March 31st, but with the stability of this storm, and the huge bonus of clean conditions, a Big Wave Yellow Alert has been sent out. If the conditions continue to track favorably, a Green Alert will be issued within 24 hours, and the competition will be called ON.

A mix of local and international surfers, such as Nic Von Rupp, Lucas Chianca, Kai Lenny, Justine Dupont and Andrew Cotton, will be paired with partners like Clement Roseyro, Pedro Vianna, Ian Walsh, Éric Rebière, and Ian Cosenza. They’ll compete in categories including Men's Best Performance, Women’s Best Performance and Best Team Performance.

We’ll keep you up to date on the forecast, and stay tuned to www.worldsurfleague.com for all the contest updates.