Nazaré

Nazaré is located on the western Atlantic coast, between Lisbon and Porto, about a 30-minute drive north from Òbidos. Most people have only become aware of this town of 10,000 inhabitants in the last few years, ever since its mayor recognized an opportunity to boost tourism by marketing the freakishly-large waves that crash onto its shores during the winter months. Now, it is recognized as the place to go for pro surfers all over the world in search of 80-100 foot waves, and has been featured in a number of surfing documentaries.

We spent just a couple of hours in Nazaré, mostly on the Sítio promontory that is at the center of the surfing action. It is the site of the Forte de São Miguel Arcanjo (St. Michael the Archangel), built in 1577, and the iconic red lighthouse that has guided the town's fishermen for over a century. The sculptured image of the archangel Michael above the fort's entrance was added in 1644. Inside the fort is now a surfing museum that features photographs, surfboards, and other artifacts of the world's top surfers. There were reminders that this is a surfing mecca leading up to the promontory as well, including the 2022 Big Wave Championship gateway and the curious sculpture of a deer-surfer that pays homage to the legend of Nazaré and its status as the home of the biggest waves and best surfing in the world.

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To the south of the promontory is Praia de Nazaré, a flat beach with relatively calm water. To the north is the Praia do Norte, which is where the giant waves manifest. While the ocean swell was only about 20' (6m) when we were there in early March, we could easily visualize much larger waves. The super-large waves are caused by a confluence of conditions: (1) West north westerly swells, (2) long frequency waves, (3) the massive Nazaré sea canyon, over 16,000' (5000m) deep in places, that funnels and accelerates swells towards the Sítio promontory from the southwest, (4) the sudden change in depth as these swells approach the shore, and (5) Praia do Norte swells reflecting off the promontory and impacting the incoming swells from the canyon side, creating a vertical thrust that produces very high but short waves (not like the tube waves seen on the north shore of Oahu, for example).

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Fishing has long been Nazaré's main industry and today, it is still known for the fresh fish sold in open markets by the fishermen's wives ('Nazarenas'). A charming tradition, based on a local legend, is kept alive by the some of the Nazarenas who wear colorful, multi-layered skirts, often with embroidered aprons, headscarves, and clogs. The story goes that during a stormy night, a young woman waited on the cliff for her fisherman lover to return from sea. She wore seven skirts to keep her warm and, as the breeze caught the brightly-colored layers, to act as a living lighthouse for the men at sea. Her lover, who was in great peril battling the storm, saw the colorful display and was able to navigate safely to shore. Why seven layers? No-one knows for sure. It could be associaed with days of the week, colors of the rainbow, virtues or deadly sins, or just the common association of the number with good fortune. Another speculation is that the young woman used the skirt layers to count off the seven-wave cadence that preceded calmer water. The legend is featured in many Fado songs.