Slackliner at Nazaré Swallowed by Wall of Water (Video)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Sep 20, 2025 10:41 AM ET

Nazaré, Portugal is one of the wildest, most extreme ocean locations on earth.

Everything about it is insane – from the sheer cliffs overlooking the sea, the underwater canyon that serves as a swell steroid, to the waves themselves, which are some of the biggest in the world, teetering on that elusive triple-digit barrier.

So, it makes sense why surfers have flocked to Nazaré since its “discovery” in the past decade or so. But it’s also attracted others, like daredevil slackliners, to tempt fate and walk a tightrope across the rugged cliffs and amidst the massive waves.

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A post shared by AIDAN WILLIAMS (@aidanwilliamsphoto)

Back in December of 2017, a crew of slackliners were stationed at Nazaré during the peak season for swell. They set up a line from the iconic lighthouse bluff to one of the scattered boulders in the danger zone of breaking liquid mountains.

And photographer Aidan Williams wound up capturing Russian daredevil Andrey Karr, as he walked across the line, moments before he was swallowed by a gigantic wave. In the video above, Williams looks back on that award-winning photograph, while showing the behind-the-scenes footage of Karr performing the feat.

“Originally, I planned to stay just one week before heading off to spend Christmas with my family,” Williams wrote. “But after that first week, I still hadn’t captured the shot I had envisioned. So I made the difficult decision to extend my stay, sacrificing Christmas with my loved ones in the hope of getting it.

“Eventually, I captured a powerful shot of Andrey Karr in action and that moment changed everything. I’m deeply grateful for the process, the people, and the place that made it all possible.”

The resulting photograph earned Williams (and Karr) the 1st place prize in the Extreme Sports category for the International Photography Awards.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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