Photo Gallery: 2024 Nazaré Big Wave Challenge Highlights

Surfing big waves can be a time warp. A couple hours in the water can feel like a lifetime on land. So many decisions, close calls, crazy moments – all crammed into a short window of sensory overload. And so, there’s a lot to unpack in the aftermath.

Like, for example, the 2024 Nazaré Big Wave Challenge, which went down on Monday, January 22nd at the world’s biggest wave, Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal. 18 surfers, in teams of two, took on 30-to-40 foot waves at the famed big wave beachbreak with two heats each spanning 40 minutes. One day of surfing; one million stories. Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca took the win for men’s, Maya Gabeira for the women’s, and Chumbo and Pedro Scooby for the team division.

Amidst all that surfing, time sped up. Especially for the surfers. So, let’s slow it down a little and look at some of the highlights below.