Watch: Surfer Scores Surprisingly Epic Glacier Wave in Greenland

As far as novelty waves go – from river waves, to oil tanker wakes, to sketchy slabs breaking over dry reef – it’s more about the experience, less about the score. One does not expect to get a subjectively good wave during such sessions. Instead, it’s about the adventure, the lengths one goes through to surf something most people never will.

But what if those novelty sessions produced actually decent waves? What then?

That’s what happened when Portuguese surfer Eurico Romaguera and photographer Jorge Abian trekked up to Greenland in search of a mythical calving glacier wave. Compared to many calving glacier waves we’ve seen over the years – like from Ben Gravy, the Rip Curl Search crew, etc. – this one is actually decent. It even tubes at one point. Granted, it’s not the longest wave ever, and it’s mostly shorebreak, but still, this has gotta be up there with one of the better calving glacier scores in history.

On their second attempt, Abian explained:

“This time, the beach was clear. The water like glass. It looked almost scripted. Ice started falling from the glacier, and we were gifted with the first surfable waves of the trip. Saying we were happy would be an understatement. We would have called it mission accomplished, but we both knew we wanted more.”

That was just the beginning of the session; Abian continued:

“Then, it happened…what we were really waiting for. A massive chunk of the glacier broke off. You were ready Eurico. You caught that wave, like I knew you would. We got the shot. The one we risked everything for.”