Photo Report: Tudor Nazaré Big Wave Challenge 2025
It’s late afternoon on a Thursday in mid-December when the call comes in: monsters are closing in on Nazaré. State-of-the-art satellite technology has detected the perfect kinetic sweep across the Atlantic, creating ideal conditions. This monster swell is heading straight for a small fishing village two hours north of Lisbon. But it’s not alone in charting this course. Professional surfers from around the world looking to compete in the WSL Tudor Big Wave Challenge have been on high alert since the end of October. When the call comes in, they have less than 24 hours to get to Nazaré (if they aren’t already there) and prepare themselves. It’s going to be an epic battle with the elements, chasing moving mountains of water for a chance at glory.
I board an early flight to Lisbon on Friday morning. I’m heading out to Nazaré as well to capture the action and experience this equally fascinating and terrifying phenomenon. The towering waves there are created by the force of the ocean’s waters being pushed in by low-pressure systems in conjunction with a 10,000m-deep canyon that abruptly ends just off the coast. When conditions are right, this creates some of the largest waves on the planet. And though it’s been around for centuries, over the last couple of decades, this wall of water has transformed this unassuming town into Europe’s Mecca of big-wave surf. Tudor, which sponsors the competition, invited us to see what this perfect storm is all about and meet some of the brand’s most daring ambassadors.
Tudor Nazaré Big Wave Challenge 2025
The ambassadors in question are Portugal’s Nic von Rupp and France’s Clément Roseyro. They hoped to secure their team title for the second year. The competition offers awards for the best individual male and female performances, as well as a coveted team award. In this 2025 edition of the event, 18 international competitors (15 men and three women) chased the 15–20m waves with hopes of securing a trophy.
The event was initially going to be a two-round tow-in competition. However, a delayed start due to mist and a mid-day power outage led the World Surf League to finalize results after the first round. Despite the shortened format, the contest drew an estimated 20,000–50,000 spectators along the cliffs overlooking the break.
Brazilian surfer Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca earned the Best Male Performance award with a score of 23.60, finishing just 0.14 points ahead of Nic von Rupp. Chianca’s performance followed a significant wipeout earlier, during which he was underwater for nearly 30 seconds before fellow competitor Sebastian Steudtner recovered him. This incident highlighted the importance of safety teams, whose work we would experience firsthand later in the day.
In the women’s category, Justine Dupont claimed her second consecutive Nazaré victory and fifth overall, posting a total score of 19.87 to finish ahead of Michelle des Bouillons. Dupont’s result further reinforced her consistent record at the Portuguese big-wave venue. But it’s not just about the trophies, as Britain’s Laura Crane demonstrated. Making her return from a broken leg sustained during a training run at this very spot, she stayed out on the water after the competition halted in pursuit of these watery behemoths. Her patience paid off, and with a bit of luck, she may have claimed a record for the biggest wave ridden by a woman.
A win for Team Tudor
Team honors went to Nic von Rupp and Clément Roseyro, whose combined score of 45.46 proved enough to overcome the Brazilian pairing of Chianca and Pedro Scooby. Even from our perspective, weaving in and out of the action, the day was certainly eventful. And though all was well in the end, with Nic and Clément raising the trophies they set out to earn, all the day’s incidents were a reminder that even at the highest level in the world of big-wave surfing, not everything goes according to plan. At Nazaré, in particular, it rarely does.
A sport like big-wave surfing pits the skills of its competitors at odds with the unpredictability of nature. It’s not for the faint of heart, and it takes a certain daring spirit to compete. Thankfully, though, this year’s competition wrapped up without any major incidents to report.
Nazaré 2025 — Photo Report
Arriving in Nazaré on Friday evening, I was greeted by a sleepy town on a rather gray and rainy December day. But walking down to the boardwalk, I found myself alongside a curious few, brought to the water’s edge by the promise of big waves. Looking out to the end of the rocky cliffs where the famous lighthouse sits, that’s exactly what I saw.
It’s challenging to convey the scale, especially from a distance of almost one kilometer with a relatively short zoom lens. But the dark green sea under leaden skies seemed as menacing as I’ve ever seen it look. The stage was set for the next day’s action.
My Tudor Pelagos FXD was the clear watch of choice for this particular outing and its promise of watery action.
After a stormy night’s sleep, the group of retailers, journalists, and Tudor staff that answered the last-minute call congregated in the hotel lobby to catch an early-morning shuttle. After making our way through the winding streets of the town’s upper district, we were dropped off halfway down the path that leads to Nazaré’s famous lighthouse. Making our way down, we could see (and hear) the roaring wall of water breaking over and over again onto the cliffs before rolling into the sandy north beach.
The event took place under the watchful eye of local firefighters, the coast guard, and the police.
A mid-December sunrise over the town of Nazaré
Yes, those specs among the waves are the teams’ jet skis. These towing surfers into the waves (which move too quickly to paddle into unassisted) and then rescue them when their run ends.
Nazaré’s lighthouse
The Farol da Nazaré, perched atop the Forte de São Miguel Arcanjo, overlooks Praia do Norte and the towering Atlantic waves that have made the town a global surfing destination. Constructed in 1903, the red iron lighthouse offers one of the best vantage points for observing big-wave surfers in action. It hosts media, guests, judges, and the teams’ spotters (who communicate with their teammates in the water to help them position themselves for the best chances to catch the perfect wave). It also houses a small museum dedicated to the sport.
Here is also where Tudor set up a lounge, from which we could enjoy first-row views of the waves as well as watch the competition. It was not long after our arrival that the morning sun was lost behind a dense bank of mist that we watched appear firsthand.
Safety first
Though the waves were at their peak, safety must come first, so the start of the competition was delayed. A small group of attendees and I took a shuttle to Nazaré’s harbor and marina. From there, we would get to witness the action up close and experience what goes into rescuing surfers after they complete their run. In the meantime, we suited up and began to make our way out to the boat that would take us out into the choppy Atlantic waters. It was the perfect opportunity to take some wrist shots of some of the many Tudor watches present at the event.
The author suited up, camera in hand, Tudor FXD on his wrist — Image: Manel Geada
The author and fellow FXD owner Hendrik of klockfeber.se — Image: Manel Geada
One of 300 Pelagos FXD Chrono “Pink” made for The Giro d’Italia
Clément Roseyro’s in-focus Pelagos beside the author’s FXD
Popular with the ladies — the Black Bay 54 “Lagoon Blue”
Classics never go out of style — the Black Bay 58 in blue
Nic von Rupp’s out-of-focus Pelagos Ultra alongside the author’s FXD
Down by the harbor, we met Nic and Clément, who were patiently waiting for the call to come in. It didn’t take long, and they overtook us on the way out of the harbor, heading straight for the waves to make the runs that ultimately won them the trophy later in the day.
Mountains of the sea
The view of the waves from the water’s surface truly put things into perspective. These are not waves as much as they are moving mountains of water.
After several minutes of watching the surfers do their thing, it was our turn to get in the water.
These eager, jet-ski-driving gentlemen would demonstrate the work of rescuers on willing participants.
Rescue work is serious business, but it’s also a lot of fun.
My FXD went along for the ride and, thankfully, remained on my wrist, shrugging off our jet-ski driver’s best efforts to shake both of us loose. We returned to the harbor, with everyone on board having newfound appreciation for what the rescue teams do out there. They battle the waves and work in cooperation with spotters in recovering surfers at the end of their run in a matter of seconds. Without their work, things could easily end in disaster.
Back to the lighthouse
After our experience in the water, we returned to the clifftop where onlookers had gathered to witness the early-afternoon action. The already-crowded hillside I had seen that morning became a mountain of people, all there to witness the waves and watch the competition.
All eyes were on the action, and onlookers enjoyed unseasonal sunshine.
Also available for enjoyment were a variety of food and refreshment options for the lively surf crowd. These included a rather lively piña colada stand.
The afternoon session delivered some truly incredible scenes.
Capturing the action despite being ill-equipped with just 55 millimeters of reach. For those looking to photograph the event, take note: a telephoto lens is a must.
The crowd was not disappointed. Conditions were truly perfect.
A mountain of people. Estimates run as high as 50,000 spectators.
After having spent some time taking in the sights and experiencing a bit of confusion due to a power outage, we learned that the event had to end before it got too dark. With that, the crowd began to shift its focus from barren waters to the small stage where the trophy ceremony would take place.
The Tudor Nazaré Big Wave Challenge 2025 award ceremony
I’m fully aware that I gave the game away already earlier in the article. However, here are a few wrap-up images from the award ceremony, where the efforts of Justine Dupont, Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca, Clément Roseyro, and Nic von Rupp were recognized.
Big-wave surfer and Tudor ambassador Nic von Rupp celebrating the team’s victory
Clément and Nic, crowned best team at Nazaré for the second year in a row
Nic celebrating the win with his wife, renowned Portuguese actress Matilde Reymão
All winners received a Tudor Pelagos Ultra alongside their trophy
Nic and Clément holding their trophies as well as the second part of their prize, a pair of Tudor Pelagos Ultras
A close-knit community — the Tudor Nazaré Big Wave Challenge winners celebrating together
That was it for the Tudor Nazaré Big Wave Challenge 2025 report. I leave you with a view of the team’s trophies safely back at the Tudor lounge, a view of the sunset over the last of the swells rolling into Praia do Norte, and a short video featuring an interview with Nic and Clément after their victory.
