Jaws and Nazaré delivered again in 2024. The three nominations for this year’s SURFER Big Wave Challenge came from those two waves. The first in the timeline came from 16-year-old Steve Roberson, who navigated this Black Friday bomb in November. “Baby” Roberson was 15 at the time and rode what could easily be a 50-footer at burly, wind-whipped Pe’ahi. Kelly Slater called it “incredible,” while Jamie O’Brien said it was “legendary.” I’m inclined to agree.
Related: Riding Huge Waves Is Child’s Play for Teen Phenom “Baby” Steve Roberson
A few months after Roberson’s wave, Lucas Chianca’s bravado at Nazaré continued to blossom in full. He got two of the largest peaks all year, one going left and another going right. The two entries were four days apart, thanks to a massive low-pressure system that moved over Europe in late February. The water angle on his first one, the left, reveals how heavy and imperfect the wave it. He didn’t make the wave, unfortunately, as the whitewater gobbled him up. But he made up for it on the right, drawing off the bottom and into the pocket on who knows how big a peak. Some guys just have places dialed, even the shifty minefield that is Praia do Norte.
Find out if Roberson or Chianca will take home the hardware at the SURFER Big Wave Challenge award show on October 19 at Nazaré.
Related: Water Angle: Lucas Chianca Dives Under Nazaré Avalanche