Nazaré: Life and Death with the Big Wave Surfers

by Matt Majendie

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR

JOIN THE QUEST TO SURF THE BIGGEST WAVE IN HISTORY.

In a small fishing village on the coast of Portugal, a select band of surfers take unimaginable risks, pushing the boundaries of their death-defying sport as they seek to go bigger than ever before.

Their goal? To ride the Everest of the ocean - the 100-foot wave.

Sports journalist Matt Majendie is welcomed into the inner circle of Nazaré's tight community of big-wave surfers and extreme thrill-seekers, living among them for a season as he chronicles their incredible highs and terrifying lows.

Follow the endeavours of Britain's leading big-wave surfer, a former plumber from Devon, Andrew Cotton; trailblazing Brazilian female surfer Maya Gabeira; current World Record holder German Sebastian Steudtner; Portuguese Nic von Rupp and jet-ski driver Sérgio Cosme, nicknamed 'the Guardian Angel of Nazaré' for his daring rescues, in this gripping read.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction

297 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 11, 2023

Reviews

[Helen Cooley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay read about an astonishing natural phenomenon - the enormous waves of Nazaré - and the brave (and slightly crazy) men and women who surf these 70-80ft monsters.

Having just read the outstanding book “Ultra Women”, which also examines real sporting stories, Nazaré did not compare quite so well. The author spent the winter 2021-22 season in Nazaré and interviewed some of the key big wave surfers. There are great stories to be told about this - world records for men, and a hero of mine Maya Gabeira.

It was interesting to hear details about the teams that surround the surfers - the jet ski pairings and life and death challenges of rescues in huge seas, the spotters on the cliff tops and other logistical and safety measures. The injuries the surfers regularly sustain are terrifying, yet most of them come back for more. Surfing is certainly an addiction.

Unfortunately for me the book read rather like a string of magazine articles, with too much verbatim quoting of all the surf interviews (not always the best to read word for word), and not enough flow or varied content for a whole book. There’s a LOT of repetition. At worst some chapters got quite boring. At best, some were good mini stories. I enjoyed the Maya Gabeira chapters the most. And Andrew Cotton, who’s our best known British surfer out in Nazaré.

Not a patch on the amazing Barbarian Days, the surf book that transcends its subject matter, and which my whole non-surfing book club loved.

Worth a read if you’re surf obsessed but not a classic surf book.

[Meana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read if you're into surfing or big wave surfing but the writing style is not my favorite. It's 300 pages of a sports chronicle and is not coherent through the book. It feels a little bit repetitive at times.

[Eline Desager · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first chapters were interesting but the amount of information that is repeated made it impossible to finish.

[Eliza Hodges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Really interesting to learn about the struggles and in depth details of big wave surfers. At times the book was repetitive with its writing and stories, but all in all I was entertained and felt like I learned a lot! Will definitely be keeping up with big wave surfing now.

[Lisa Nazareth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this but found the writing trite and banal. No real insights here into the psychology of big wave surfing or even the science of big waves. I felt the author simply made friends with the surfers and wrote it up. Yawn. The best thing about this book is the photographs. There is a good book to be written about Nazare, but this isn’t it.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Having visited Nazare out of surfing season. This book ensures my return to witness first hand the immense bravery and dedication of these young men and women, committed to this dangerous but thrilling sport.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - I really want to go to Nazaré now. It was good and definitely was very interesting but could be slow at times. I thought the insights into each surfer were amazing but it felt like a collection of amazing short stories not necessarily one single cohesive story.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insight in to the minds of big wave surfers trying to catch the monster waves at Nazaré. Good to see the helpers such as the jet ski drivers/rescuers, mechanics, spotters and all the rest of the team getting recognition too. Not the best written book in style but still a good read.

[Corie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this book on a trip to Portugal last year. We didn’t go to Nazare, but reading this really gave me an understanding of what it’s like watching big wave surfers there. I liked it but it was also a little hard for me to get through, probably because it jumped to so many different people.

[Peter A · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look into the psyche and culture surrouning this town and the sport of Big-Wave surfing as a whole. Pretty engaging and interesting, but would have prepared more descriptions of wave-riding and hearing more of the stories of being out on the water.

[Noah Vass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting subject matter let down by a lack of cohesion. Just some normal sports writing with lots of adjectives and little humour, not my favorite style of writing at all.

[Hannah Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Sam Bunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes you feel like you’re living the incredible feats of these surfers. Loved the history and geographical info behind the giant wave and the town.

[Sonja van der Westhuizen | West Words · Rating 3 out of 5]

Until a few years ago, Nazaré, a small village on the coast of Portugal, was predominantly known for its fishing industry and, in summer, tourism. The first records of fishermen in Nazaré date back to 1643 and it has been steeped in this tradition ever since. For centuries Nazaré’s fishermen braved the dangerous ocean and some of the world’s largest waves to provide for their families. In 2010, a new breed of ocean dweller would flock to the Portuguese town’s shore: big wave surfers.

Full review on blog: https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.co...

[Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got me into watching surfing and enjoyed the stories. Although there was a fair bit of repetition and felt like it might have been structured more clearly in places. But enjoyed the read.

[Daniel Sevitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was no Barbarian Days, but that is an impossible standard, surely. What we get instead is a tight focus on a single beach from the time of its discovery as potentially world-beating surf spot to the most recent season. We meet the people that nurtured the sport in the town of Nazaré and brought attention and some prosperity to a sleepy fishing village, and we meet the athletes who are compelled to risk their lives there, year after year chasing the wave that will make them whole while trying to avoid the one that will break them in two. Everyone here is a little bit nuts, but it's an inward-facing obsessive kind of nuttiness, that some people call "drive". I enjoyed spending time in their company even as I think each of them needs years of therapy. May they all stay safe.