About 120 km from Lisbon (about 1 hour and 30 minutes by car), Praia do Norte in Nazaré is gearing up for another season of giant waves. It was here that German surfer Sebastian Steudtner rode, on October 29, 2020, the 26.21-meter wave that Guinness recognizes as the largest ever—and it’s from here that you can watch the waves, free of charge, from the hillside next to the lighthouse.
The Season of Giant Waves
When does it start?
The big-wave season in Nazaré runs from October to March, peaking closer to December—but September and April also deliver in some years. It all depends on storms in the North Atlantic, whose swells are amplified by Nazaré’s underwater canyon. The World Surf League (WSL) typically keeps the window open for the Nazaré Big Wave Challenge between November 1 and March 31; this is a one-day event with no fixed date, and the 2026/27 edition is expected to follow the same schedule.
The World Record
The official Guinness World Records record stands at 26.21 meters, set by Steudtner at Praia do Norte. As of this writing, a wave from December 2025 ridden by Brazilian Rodrigo Koxa, with a preliminary measurement of 29.15 meters, is still awaiting official certification.
How to Know When It’s Worth Going
Up to a week before
Wave forecasts are only accurate up to about a week in advance and become less reliable the further out the date is, warns Nazaré Waves, which cites waves over 3 meters, a period longer than 13 seconds, and a northerly wind, slightly offshore, as good signs. The IPMA publishes forecasts for significant wave height (the average of the top third of the waves) and peak period; it has a page with sea conditions in Nazaré and issues rough sea warnings starting at a significant wave height of 4 meters (yellow warning).
In the days leading up to the competition
To catch the WSL event, notice is short: the yellow alert is issued up to 72 hours in advance, and the green alert—which confirms the competition—about 24 hours beforehand. Thus, although the waiting window may be known well in advance, operational confirmation of the event date usually occurs only within the last 1 to 3 days.
Where to Watch the Waves
The event is open to the public, both in the lighthouse area and on the hillside overlooking Praia do Norte. The São Miguel Arcanjo Fort, where the lighthouse is located, charges an admission fee and is usually closed on event days; the Nazaré Funicular connects the beach to Sítio from 7:15 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., running every 15 minutes. It’s recommended to park outside Sítio and plan on a walk of more than 1 km; on busy days, get there early. And at Praia do Norte, stay away from the sea: it’s dangerous.
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