Inspired by the HBO docuseries? Here’s where to watch monster swells and the fearless surfers who attempt to ride them IRL.
The HBO Original docuseries100 Foot Wave(streaming onMax ) follows pro surfer Garrett McNamara , and other expectant - wave obsessive , in their quest to surf the world ’s biggest wave . But what about those of us who desire to see these crazy wave vanquisher do their matter , from a good distance ? Here are five spot around the world where , if you ’re willing to do a bit of scrappy travelling and stand elbow to elbow with other hard-core fans , you may follow monster crestless wave and the unfearing surfers who attempt to turn on them , while rout for the show of another ultra - rare100 - walker .
Nazare (Portugal)
On the west coast of Portugal , less than a two - time of day drive from Lisbon , the beach township of Nazare is place to one of the world ’s most spectacularly huge wave breaks off the Praia do Norte beach . The swells pinnacle between October and March , though it ’s anyone ’s guess whenexactlythe truly monster waves will show up . In recent years , Nazare , the focal point of the first time of year of100 Foot Wave , has progressively appeared on the world point as a playground for the most hardihood of the big - wave surfers — and has also seen some tragedies , such as thedeath of Brazilian surfer Marcio Freirein January . Big - moving ridge enthusiasts have a built - in viewing spot here at the picturesque Farol de Nazare lighthouse , where crowds gather to watch the action from a relatively secure length . The pharos is approachable by car or Funicular . Underneath the lighthouse , you ’ll find the Nazare surfing museum , where you’re able to record about the geography that makes the wave get around so towering , and see a video display of surfboards used by champ who made it out intact .
Pe’ahi (Hawaii)
The Hawaiian breakers break off the Second Earl of Guilford shoring of Maui , make by an underwater 30 - foot ridge , is better known by its ominous nickname : Jaws . In the 1990s , surfer including notable pro Laird Hamilton open up the practice of towage - in surfriding in this place , riding behind a jet ski before being launched into a predominate crest ; in more recent years , surfer have made the trip by paddling out on their own . Waves tumefy December to March , and in January 2021 , Hawaiian surfer Makua Rothmansurfed an estimate 100 - fundament wavehere . onlooker tuck at a cliffside spot above the break to watch aspiring conquerors take on the monster wave , though the secure jibe are snapped by photographers who sit out in boat to get close to the action . If you ’ve buzz off Pe’ahi screening in brain , be disposed to go in a furrowed vehicle and probably get muddy : The dirt road can be tough going away , especially after it rains , and after you parkland , you ’ll hike 1.5 statute mile to the magic spot .
Teahupoʻo (Tahiti)
A wafture off the southwest coast of Tahiti is famed and feared for its weight rather than its height . Teahupoʻo , whose name translates to " place of skulls , " wasdubbed the heaviest wave in the worldby pro surfer Kelly Slater . It ’s all due to the manner the semi - orbitual reef underneath the control surface drops off sharply , creating a swell that folds over to make a quelling and oftendangerouscurl . The wave is so redoubtable that the2024 Olympian surfing eventwill be hold up here . Winter / high-pitched season here execute from April to October , and to see the offshore Teahupo’o break for yourself , you ’ll necessitate to hop on a boat from the Tahitian Greenwich Village of the same name .
Mavericks (California)
The aptly - namedMaverickswave draw off surfers who require to test themselves against the most extreme consideration the sport has to offer . In winter , especially January , this Northern California surf break near Half Moon Bay is a perfect storm of challenging condition for even the most seasoned pros . The waters are brutally cold and fabulously turbulent , not to cite base to shark — include the periodic Great White — who like to snack on the seals that shop at this country . Mavericks took its plaza among pet big - wave breaker spots in the 1990s , when a picture shoot forSurfermagazine drew the involvement of enthusiasts like Hamilton and Mark Foo ( the latter of whom would give way there in a 1994 surfing chance event ) . To take in unafraid surfer take on these frigid andmassive swell , maneuver to Pillar Point , where you ’ll park in a dirt slew and take the air out a half - mile to the surf maculation .
Puerto Escondido (Mexico)
The beach Ithiel Town of Puerto Escondido is home to the Mexican Pipeline , a daunting undulation whose world - renowned thickness is generated by the combination of an seaward shallow ridge and a mysterious canyon . April through September is the right clock time to watch surfers on the biggest waves at Playa Zicatela , where Hawaiian surfboarder and Hollywood stuntman Mark Healey hitch theride of a lifetimein 2015 . " The energy spirit level of that place is so knockout to enunciate without being there , " Healey write . Take his words to heart and go see the domain ’s biggest dandy with your own eyes .
Photograph by Hélio António/HBO
