86ft · 26.21 m
Sebastian Steudtner
Guinness World Records 
Real-time swell from the world's most powerful canyon, a 7-day big-wave forecast, and an alert the moment a monster lines up.
Nazaré doesn't produce giant waves by chance. Around three kilometres off Praia do Norte lies the Nazaré Canyon — one of the largest and deepest submarine canyons in Europe, plunging more than 5,000 metres and stretching roughly 230 kilometres out into the Atlantic. Like a vast underwater funnel, it channels the raw energy of open-ocean swells straight toward the beach.
As that deep-water swell races up the canyon it barely loses power, while the waves crossing the shallow shelf beside it slow down. The two meet head-on right at the shore — the fast canyon swell stacking onto the slower coastal water — and jack up into the towering, near-vertical faces Nazaré is famous for. Add an Atlantic winter storm on top, and you get the biggest rideable surf on the planet.
It's the combination — canyon, coastline and storm — that no other spot on Earth reproduces so reliably. That's why the world's best big-wave surfers spend every winter here, waiting for the days when everything aligns.
Every number on this site is built from live data — no guesswork.
Swell height, wave period and direction come straight from the Open-Meteo marine model and the MONICAN offshore buoy anchored off the coast — refreshed every 30 minutes, day and night.
One number from 0 to 100 blends height, period, wind and swell direction into a single honest read on the day: flat, fair, big or firing. No jargon, no hype — just how likely the giants are.
How the score works →The moment the canyon lines up for a monster, our free Wave Alert lands in your inbox — with the date, the tide window and the forecast height, in time to make the trip.
The biggest waves ever ridden — every one of them here in Nazaré.
Nazaré's big-wave season runs from October to March, when deep Atlantic low-pressure systems send the largest, longest-period swells toward the coast. The most extraordinary days usually fall between November and February — the window when tow-in teams and the world's big-wave events chase the biggest forecasts.
You don't need a board to experience it. The clifftop beside the Forte de São Miguel Arcanjo lighthouse sits directly above the break, giving you a safe, dramatic view of surfers dropping into waves several storeys high. Arrive early on a big forecast — the headland fills up fast.
The big-wave season runs from October to March, with the most powerful swells usually between November and February. The exact days depend on Atlantic storms — which is why we track the forecast and send a Wave Alert when a giant is lining up.
German surfer Sebastian Steudtner set the official Guinness world record here in 2020 with a wave measured at 26.21 metres (86 feet). Nazaré holds several of the largest waves ever ridden, for both men and women — see our Hall of Fame.
Yes. The best and safest spot is the clifftop at the Forte de São Miguel Arcanjo lighthouse, directly above Praia do Norte. On big days you can watch the surfers and jet-skis from just a few dozen metres above the action.
The Nazaré Canyon, a huge underwater canyon reaching over 5,000 metres deep, funnels and amplifies open-ocean swell and directs it straight at Praia do Norte. Combined with Atlantic winter storms, it produces the biggest rideable waves in the world.
Our forecast combines marine model data with live readings from an offshore buoy, updated every 30 minutes and projected up to seven days out. As with any weather forecast, the closer the day, the more reliable it gets — so check again as your trip approaches.
Yes — the waves at Praia do Norte are among the most dangerous in the world and are surfed almost exclusively by elite big-wave athletes, usually towed in by jet-ski. For everyone else, Nazaré is a breathtaking place to watch, not to paddle out.
One email the moment the canyon lines up for a monster swell — with the day, tide window and forecast height.