Presented by Jogos Santa Casa

• Green Alert was Called for Nazaré yesterday (Nazare is 10 hours ahead of Hawaii so they could start Sunday night around 10pm)
• More Available at WorldSurfLeague.com

NAZARÉ, Portugal (Saturday, December 11, 2021) – The World Surf League (WSL) TUDOR Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge presented by Jogos Santa Casa is preparing to start competition on Sunday, December 12 at Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal.

The TUDOR Green Alert was issued, meaning there is high probability for the event to run on Sunday, December 12.

Event organizers will share the next competition updates at 8:00 a.m. GMT on Sunday, December 12.

“The forecast for Sunday is really good with solid swell and clean conditions that are ideal for Nazaré,” said Garrett McNamara, WSL Tours and Competition, Big Wave Consultant. “There is a lot of strength coming in a good direction with a strong interval. We are predicting that the swell will come in a little late, so we might start out with smaller conditions in the 30-to-40-foot range in the morning, but then we will see it pick up to be 40-to-60-foot faces.”

“With Nazaré, there is always that unpredictability where it could be a little bigger or a littler smaller,” continued McNamara. “Compared to other Nazaré swells, this one comes with ESE winds, which we rarely get here. ESE winds will be straight offshore and grooms the lineup perfectly. We are likely to see good barrel potential on both the left and the right. It is going to be amazing to see these big wave surfers compete.”

The call has been made to 18 of the best big wave surfers on the planet to start packing and make their way towards Portugal for a fourth edition of the professional Big Wave surfing event in Nazaré.

When this event last ran in February 2020, conditions came together for a mind-blowing show of daunting drops and barrier-breaking performances from some of the best big wave riders.

Kai Lenny (HAW) and Lucas Chianca (BRA) put on a clinic in 2020 with high-performance surfing of the monster waves like nobody had ever seen before. Part-time Nazaré resident Justine Dupont (FRA) also made headlines with the women’s Best Wave award on the day as she truly cemented herself as a standout in the lineup.

A similar field this Sunday is set to push the limits of what is humanly possible on the high-risk, high-rewards mountain-like wedges of Praia do Norte in Nazaré.

Tow-In Teams
Team 1: Kai Lenny (HAW), Lucas Chianca (BRA)
Team 2: Nic Von Rupp (PRT), Pedro Scooby (BRA)
Team 3: Rodrigo Koxa (BRA), Kealii Mamala (HAW)
Team 4: Andrew Cotton (GBR), Will Skudin (USA)
Team 5: Axier Muniain (EUK), Francisco Porcella (ITA)
Team 6: João de Macedo (PRT), Antonio Silva (PRT)
Team 7: Maya Gabeira (BRA), Eric Rebiere (FRA)
Team 8: Justine Dupont (FRA), Pierre Rollet (FRA)
Team 9: Michelle des Bouillons (BRA), Ian Cosenza (PRT)

Heat Draw
Heat 1, Group A

• Team 1: Kai Lenny (HAW), Lucas Chianca (BRA)
• Team 5: Axier Muniain (EUK), Francisco Porcella (ITA)
• Team 8: Justine Dupont (FRA), Pierre Rollet (FRA)

Heat 2, Group B

• Team 3: Rodrigo Koxa (BRA), Kealii Mamala (HAW)
• Team 4: Andrew Cotton (GBR), Will Skudin (USA)
• Team 9: Michelle des Bouillons (BRA), Ian Cosenza (PRT)

Heat 3, Group C

• Team 2: Nic Von Rupp (PRT), Pedro Scooby (BRA)
• Team 6: João de Macedo (PRT), Antonio Silva (PRT)
• Team 7: Maya Gabeira (BRA), Eric Rebiere (FRA)

Heat 4, Group A

• Team 1: Kai Lenny (HAW), Lucas Chianca (BRA)
• Team 5: Axier Muniain (EUK), Francisco Porcella (ITA)
• Team 8: Justine Dupont (FRA), Pierre Rollet (FRA)

Heat 5, Group B

• Team 3: Rodrigo Koxa (BRA), Kealii Mamala (HAW)
• Team 4: Andrew Cotton (GBR), Will Skudin (USA)
• Team 9: Michelle des Bouillons (BRA), Ian Cosenza (PRT)

Heat 6, Group C

• Team 2: Nic Von Rupp (PRT), Pedro Scooby (BRA)
• Team 6: João de Macedo (PRT), Antonio Silva (PRT)
• Team 7: Maya Gabeira (BRA), Eric Rebiere (FRA)

Four awards will be distributed at the end of the competition:

• Men’s Best Performance: Male surfer with the highest 2 scoring waves
• Women’s Best Performance: Female surfer with the highest 2 scoring waves
• Best Team Performance: Total of best two scoring rides of both team riders
• Jogos Santa Casa Most Committed Award

Official Surfline Forecast: A very active storm period in the North Atlantic has a long run of XXL swell inbound to Nazare this weekend and into early next week. The largest surf is expected to build over the afternoon on Sunday before gradually easing through Monday. As this long period northwest swell peaks late Sunday, we expect wave face size in the 40-50’ range, with the largest waves up to 55’. Good to excellent conditions are expected both Sunday and Monday with light offshore wind.

Watch LIVE 
When called ON, the TUDOR Nazaré Tow Surfing Presented by Jogos Santa Casa will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL app, and the WSL’s YouTube channel. Check local listings for coverage from the WSL’s broadcast partners.