The WSL’s inaugural Nazaré Tow Challenge is set to go next week, most likely Tuesday 11/02/20.
A huge North Atlantic swell with plenty of north in it – ideal for the peakier waves and in particular ‘Big Momma’ outside first peak Naz – is developing between Greenland and Ireland and set to arrive early next week.
The WSL Big Wave protocol is only to green light events 48 hrs out, and officially only a yellow alert has been made thus far, but the historic, first ever WSL tow team event is very likely to go 11/02/20.
Following a series of nearly calls, the tow event has gone longer into the waiting period than any previous WSL Nazaré event, with nearly 3/4 of the waiting period already gone.
One such nearly call was just last week, when Nic von Rupp, who’ll teaming up with Francisco Porcella as Team Europe had this near nuclear pole axing:
Required conditions for the event are minimum 50-65 ft faces and clean conditions.
Teams for the event are as follows:
Team World: SEBASTIAN STEUDTNER – Germany • MAYA GABEIRA – Brazil
Team Brazil RODRIGO KOXA – Brazil • PEDRO SCOOBY – Brazil
Team Great Britain ANDREW COTTON – United Kingdom • TOM BUTLER – United Kingdom
Team Australia ROSS CLARKE-JONES – Australia • MICK CORBETT – Australia
Team Portugal HUGO VAU – Portugal • ALEX BOTELHO – Portugal
Team Young Bulls KAI LENNY – Hawaii • LUCAS CHIANCA – Brazil
Team Europe NIC VON RUPP – Portugal • FRANCISCO PORCELLA – Italy
Team France BENJAMIN SANCHIS – France • ERIC REBEIRE – France
Team Atlantic GRANT BAKER – South Africa • JOAO de MACEDO – Portugal
WOMEN’S DIVISION INVITEE:
Team Justine JUSTINE DUPONT – France Partnered with Fred David as a non-surfing ski driver)
The format will be four one hour long heats, with each set of teams surfing twice.
Heat 1. GROUP A (Teams 1-5) 60 Minutes of surfing
Heat 2. GROUP B (Teams 6-10) 60 Minutes of surfing
Heat 3. GROUP A (Teams 1-5) 60 Minutes of surfing
Heat 4. GROUP B (Teams 6-10) 60 Minutes of surfing
Watch the event live on worldsurfleague.com
Cover photo: Magicseaweed.com
