Will 100 Foot Waves Be Surfed In The Arctic Circle?

This is the second entry of a travel series to Europe to meet with Nic von Rupp in Nazaré thanks to an invite from Tudor Watch. I was part of a group of 18 journalists invited from around the world to learn about Nic and his tow partner Clement Roseyro, who won the Best Team Performance at the Tudor Big Wave Invitational this past season.You can read the first entry here.

The proverbial knock on the door of surfing 100 foot waves is getting louder and louder. Given the turnaround time in judging wave heights, for all we know it may have been ridden this past year by Alo Slebir at Mavericks. If the powers that be determined that he did, in fact, bag a 100-footer, will the search be over? Absolutely not, because it’s not just about wave heights.

If the lofty 100 foot goal wasn’t reached at Mavs last year, the chances are it will happen at Nazaré. Unless, of course, the world’s biggest wave has yet to be discovered. Just like Laird Hamilton and the “strapped crew” before him, perhaps no one is more committed to this search for the next Nazaré than Nic von Rupp and his team of big wave explorers. 

On a recent trip to Portugal, I got to meet Nic and his band of happy hellman. On one hand, they’re like an elite SEAL Team, on the other, a band of thrill-seeking pirates. Armed with modern technology, constant training, and the backing of sponsors like Tudor Watch, they’re seeking out waves far beyond the ordinary spots and deep into the unknown of the Arctic Circle as part of their new endeavor, Mountains of The Sea. 

The trip included a tour of the fort and lighthouse, including the Nazaré Hall of Fame, where all the legendary boards from past seasons are on display. We surveyed the lienup from above and heard Nic talk about different scenarios and how the wave behaves depending on the swell direction.

We left their headquarters in the Nazare Harbor, where they keep their 300 HP Yamaha Jet Skis and custom weighted tow boards and ride out onto the seas come hell or high water (literally). The waves were small that day but the vibes were high and the sun was out. Nic and the boys were on skis as myself and a crew of journalists were ferried out past the fort and lighthouse for an up close look at the lineup. 

Being summertime, there were no monsters that day. Only chest-high shorebreak but that didn’t stop them from going full-send with the skis and giving each of us a taste of what they can do. For those of us who could surf, or were interested in trying, we each got turns towing behind the skis for the experience. I’ll tell you what, I never would have thought that my first-time tow surfing would have been under these circumstances. It was crazy fun and memorable as could be, but also, absolutely exhausting. 

After 30 minutes of towing around and getting whipped into the shorebreak, my arms, legs, and core were all pulsing from the tension of the powerful skis and choppy seas. I was told by Joao Macedo, “this is nothing, the chop is crazy in the winter. This is basically glass for us.” 

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Duly noted. Albeit we were playing around like pedestrians in the park on a summer’s day, it was exhausting. It’s crazy to think that, when the waves are on, these guys are out on the water for 8 hours or more. Towing into giant waves, handling brutal beat downs and wipe outs, all the while dealing with considerable cold and fighting off fatigue as they hunt down the biggest ride possible. 

For these guys, although Nazaré is home in more ways than one, especially in season, but there’s a shared yearning to keep pushing and searching. Just last October, Nic and crew organized the first official Mountains of The Sea exploration to Iceland. They spent 3 weeks far off the beaten path enduring frigid temperatures and wild storms to gauge the potential for any new big wave discoveries. They found good medium-sized surf but another Nazaré or Cortes Bank eluded them, for now.  

This year, it’s off to Greenland. Where they’ll spend another 3 weeks in unchartered waters and intentionally putting themselves in the path of big storms. They’ll be seeking for anything hiding below the surface that– with the right combination of swell size, direction, and winds–could wow the world. Nic was there during last year’s discovery of the RÁN, named after the Norse God of the Sea, by Freddie Meadows. A discovery that opened up a new level of what’s possible in Scandinavia–compared to everything else in the region, this blew the lid off. 

Coming from Nazaré, Nic’s bar is already set quite high and he’s not bound to the Portuguese waters either. He and his crew were clearly born to dare and their search for Mountians of The Seas knows no bounds. 

Related: Freddie Meadows' New Home Is The Ultimate Arctic Surf Exploration Vessel

Will 100 Foot Waves Be Surfed In The Arctic Circle? first appeared on Surfer on Jul 21, 2025