‘Insane, Crazy Day’: 4 Winners Survive 60-Foot Wave at Nazaré Challenge

After a thick fog blanket delayed the start and a power outage on the event side further delayed the contest, the WSL Tours & Competitions team decided to call off the remainder of the event after the first round as they deemed it unsafe to run the second round in fading evening light.

“We took a chance to run this event on one of the biggest swells, and the athletes rose to the challenge, competing in the best waves of the day,” said Francisco Spinola, WSL President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “It was a day of incredible performances. We did have to end the event after Round 1 due to technical difficulties and running out of daylight, but it’s imperative we do not compromise the integrity of the competition and that we make the best decision for the safety of the surfers.”

The awards were handed out based on the first round results. The Men’s Best Performance award went to Lucas Chianca, who had to go through the wash cycle for this one.  Not only did he earn the highest two-wave scores, he was pulverized by waves that should only live in nightmares, but somehow exist thanks to an underwater canyon and low-pressure systems. Thousands of spectators on the cliff watched Lucas get sucked over the falls on his first wave and wear a multitude of comically large waves on the head before getting snagged by his tow partner. 

“That was a heavy moment for sure,” Lucas said. “It was one of the heaviest wipeouts of my life. I want to thank Sebastian Steudtner for picking me up right in front of the rocks, he saved my life today. The day started really gnarly, but we tried our best. Pedro ‘Scooby’ Vianna put me on some bombs, and I put him on some bombs. Thanks to Nazaré for putting on a show and to WSL for making this happen.”

On the women’s side, Justine Dupont dominated once again, winning her second straight best female performance win ​​from last February. Less than two years after the birth of her son, Justine has picked up two Nazaré Challenge wins. “It was a crazy day, and I’m so happy with the win,” she said. “I just want to thank Eric (Rebiere), he is the best driver out there, and of course, (her husband) Fred. Thanks to the safety team and Nazaré for a fun day.”

Portugal’s Nic von Rupp and France’s Clement Roseyro were the top duo once again and earned a second-straight Best Team Performance award. These guys are stalwarts here, and their time together is paying off. SURFER staffer Chris Dodds got an inside look at their program, which you can check out here. “It was an insane, crazy day,” Clemente said. “Nic got a few bombs, I got a few bombs, everyone is safe. It’s a happy day!”

Nic got what he claims as the line of his life, fading left the whitewater and nearly getting vaporized. He recovered and rode out for a 16.66. But Nic was highly complementary of his younger partner. 

“Clement is an incredible surfer,” Nic said. “He’s a young gun that only appeared two years ago, but he’s already up there with the best of the best. Look at the amount of people here, Nazaré is living its best moments, not only with the crowd, with the event, with the competition and the incredible surfers like Lucas Chianca and Pedro Scooby, but also surfers that aren’t even in this event. I’m so proud to be here, and to win again is the cherry on top.”

2025/2026 TUDOR Nazaré Big Wave Challenge Results: 

HEAT 1: Lucas Chianca (BRA) 23.60 DEF. Pedro Scooby (BRA) 21.80, Benjamin Sanchis (FRA) 16.04, Jerome Sahyoun (MAR) 11.90, Michelle des Bouillons (BRA) 17.50, Ian Cosenza (BRA)

HEAT 2: Nic von Rupp (POR) 23.46 DEF. Clement Roseyro (FRA) 21.99, Rafael Tapia (CHL) 10.00, Pierre Rollet (FRA) 11.16, Justine Dupont (FRA) 19.87, Eric Rebiere (FRA)

HEAT 3: James Carew (AUS) 18.74 DEF. Rodrigo Koxa (BRA) 18.13, Andrew Cotton (GBR) 16.30, Vitor Faria (BRA) 12.57, Laura Crane (GBR) 11.93, Antonio Laureano (POR)