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The horror of being sucked over the falls on a 50-foot wave

Over the falls: when Nazaré sucks a surfer down | Photo: WSL

It's one of a surfer's worst nightmares - being sucked over the falls. Now, imagine that in a 40-50 foot wave.

Nazaré is the mother of all ocean waves. It's probably the biggest, the heaviest, and the most dangerous mountain of moving water on the planet.

And if that ain't enough, throw in the title of the most unpredictable wave on Planet Earth, which only makes planning nearly impossible.

At Praia do Norte, a wave that looks perfect and survivable can swiftly morph into a random nightmare of unlikely natural phenomena.

The result is usually terrifying, even for professional big wave surfers.

Despite the unchangeable nature of its underwater canyon that funnels swell energy to a more or less contained surf area, Nazaré will always have the beach break DNA in its genes.

Having said so, trusting its "usual" patterns is never a sign of safety and predictability.

Nazaré's hyper-sensitiveness to variables like wind, swell angle, backwash, and tides turns a beautiful rising wave into a deadly beast detonating near the headland and the rocks below.

One of the worst mistakes a surfer can make is to trust their knowledge of the Portuguese liquid avalanche.

It's more cautious to get ready for the unexpected than to follow the playbook. Let's not forget that Nazaré has already claimed a human life.

A Double Wipeout Lesson, Courtesy of Lucas Chianca

There is nothing exceptional or celebratory in a wipeout.

The fact that there are still awards being given away to the "best wipeout" of an event is disrespectful to both the athlete and the wave.

It's like praising someone for almost having died or seriously injuring themselves. It's promoting unnecessary risk among people who may not be able to handle these waves, but may want to try it.

On December 12, 2025, Lucas Chianca survived two dangerous wipeouts.

They actually represent the two trickiest situations a surfer can be exposed to at Nazaré.

In the first wave, the Brazilian drops into a good-looking left-hander, descends it at full speed, and then meets a giant pool of whitewater and bumps that bring him down at the bottom of a massive breaking wave.

Chianca goes down for around 30 seconds before being rescued by a jet ski pilot just inches from the rocks in front of the iconic lighthouse.

"That was a heavy moment for sure," Chianca said.

"It was one of the heaviest wipeouts of my life. I want to thank Sebastian for picking me up right in front of the rocks; he saved my life today."

But the first scare was not enough to keep Lucas out of the water.

And on another ride, Chianca takes a high line as if anticipating a closeout section ahead of him.

When he confirms there's no way out of that wave, he tries to penetrate the water just below the falling lip.

However, the thickness and power of the wave prove to be impossible to beat, and the experienced Brazilian surfer gets pulled back and sucked over the falls.

The image of that dramatic moment could very well become an iconic representative of the raw force of Nazaré.

Fortunately, Lucas "Chumbo" Chianca again survived this horror.


Words by Luís MP | Founder of SurferToday.com



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