Praia do Norte’s very high breaking waves form due to the presence of the underwater Nazaré Canyon.[1] The canyon creates constructive interference between incoming swell waves which tends to make the waves much larger.
In November 2011, surfer Garrett McNamara, who resides in Hawai'i, surfed a record-breaking giant wave: 23.8 m (78 ft) from trough to crest, at Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal.[2] On 28 January 2013, McNamara returned to the spot and successfully surfed a wave that appeared even larger, but is awaiting an official measurement as of November 2018.[3]
On November 8, 2017, Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa took the record by surfing an 24.4 m (80 ft) wave at Praia do Norte which was captured in a video that went viral over social media.[4]
On January, 2018, Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira got the record for biggest wave surfed by a woman at 20.8 m (68 ft) a record that Gabeira would break again on February 11, 2020, by surfing a wave that measured 22.4 m (73.5 ft).
On October 29, 2020, German surfer Sebastian Steudtner broke the previous record by surfing an 26.2 m (86 ft) wave.