"For me, as someone who has been involved in the organisation of this event since the beginning, it is an impressive thing. According to the Civil Protection, there were 50,000 people here for the event, and we are talking about a weekday, a Tuesday, in February, so the amount of people who come to this event is unbelievable".

The team of Portuguese Nicolau von Rupp and Frenchman Clement Roseyro won the Nazaré Big Wave Challenge, totalling 37.87 points at the end of the two competition sessions, with Roseyro contributing 21.83 points, which earned him the title at the individual level, and Nicolau von Rupp scoring 16.04 points, the fifth best performance of the day.

"Having a Portuguese surfer, 'Nic' Von Rupp, who we have known since we were kids, on the winning team is a dream come true for the organisation and, ultimately, it is a prize for all of us. Not only for the organisation, but for the public, for the public entities that believed in this project, and for all the Portuguese companies that have invested in surfing. I think it was a prize for everyone", said Francisco Spínola.

'Nic' managed to repeat the feat achieved in the 'cannon' of Nazaré in 2022, when he also celebrated first place on the podium, on that occasion accompanied by the Brazilian surfer Lucas Chianca.

And it was his former teammate, who competed this year alongside compatriot Pedro 'Scooby' Vianna, who reached second place, after being in first placed in 2024.

The 'Canarinha' duo finished the competition with 35.20 points, with Lucas 'Chumbo' scoring 18.67 (second place individually) and 'Scooby' 16.53 (fourth place individually).

Closing the podium was the British team, with 31.72 points, formed by Andrew Cotton (15.09) and Ben Larg (16.63), with the latter taking the 'bronze' in the individual event.

In the women's individual competition, the winner was Frenchwoman Justine Dupont (19.06 points), who was teamed with fellow Gaul Éric Rebière, followed by Brazilian Michelle Des Bouillons (13.03), partner of 'Canarinho' Ian Consenza, and British Laura Crane (4.71), who was accompanied by Portuguese Tony Laureano.

The Nazaré Big Wave Challenge took place at Praia do Norte on 18 February and featured 18 of the world's best 'big riders' (giant wave surfers), including internationally renowned surfers and locals from Nazaré, divided into nine teams.

Each team member alternated between surfing the waves and driving the jet ski. The teams were divided into three groups, and each group participated in two 45-minute heats.

Three awards were up for grabs: Best Male Performance, Best Female Performance and Best Team Performance.