(^500) ffft
1 ,^000 ffft
500 ffft
1 , (^000) ffft
500 ffft
(^2) , 000 ffft
1 , (^000) ffft
2 , (^000) ffft
3 , (^000) ffft
15 , 500 ft
16,000 ft
SSSalllgad
ddoBeac
h
moving swellFaster-
moving swellSlower-
Big-wave
surfing area
Littoral drift current
N a z a r é
C a n y
o n
North^ Beach
NNNaazzzarrréBeach
Nazaré
NHaazarborré
Lighthouse
Berlengas Is. Farilhões^ Is.
2
1
3
A A
C
C
B
B
B
N
PORTUGALNazaré
Lisbon
Nazaré
500
ffft
(^152
m)
3 ,^000 ffft
9 ,^000
ffft
15 ,^0
00 ffft
Naza
ré (^) Can
yon
Con
tine
ntal
Shel
f
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
Vibeelwow
20 km
20 mi
OVEIGA, PORTUGUESE HYDROGRAPHIC INSTITUTE; DNET; JAXA
Large storms occurring more than
2,000 miles away energize the ocean
surface. The resulting swell can reach
the Portuguese coast.
Incoming swell
The part of the swell that
flows over the canyon sustains its deep-ocean speed.
Uneven speeds
The part of the swell moving
over the shallower seafloor slows down.
The difference in speed can bend
and sometimes split the swell.
The faster-traveling water
eventually converges with the slower water, forming a triangular
peak found only in Nazaré waves.
THE COASTAL WSATELLITE IMAGE WAVES SEEN IN THIS ERE CAPTURED
ON DECEMBER 13, 2021.
THE DISTANCE FROMLIGHTHOUSE TO THE PENICHE THE NAZARÉ
PENINSULA IS 23 MILES.
A local current flowing south
along the shore is redirected
by the steep headland toward the towering peak, supersizing
the waves of Nazaré.
The giant waves can form only when swells
flow in from the west
or northwest.
Big becomes bigger
The narrow upper section of the canyon begins less than a mile
off the coast, generating a sudden drop in depth from the beach.
maropa
(Maropa)
#1