Marcio Freire, a 47-year-old Brazilian surfer, has died after falling from his board while surfing the giant waves at Nazaré in Portugal. The National Maritime Authority confirmed the incident on Thursday, stating that rescuers found Freire in cardio-respiratory arrest on the sand and were unable to revive him despite several resuscitation attempts.
Freire was one of three pioneering Brazilian surfers featured in the 2016 documentary Mad Dogs, which chronicled their attempt to conquer the giant wave 'Jaws' in Hawaii. He had lived for 20 years in Hawaii, the sport's traditional homeland, before his death at the Portuguese break.
Tributes from the surfing community poured in on Instagram. Fellow big-wave surfer Nic von Rupp posted: 'Today we lost one of ours. He surfed all day with a big smile on his face. That’s how I’ll keep him in my memory. Legend.' Brazilian surfer Thiago Jacare called Freire 'more than an idol' and 'a true hero'.
The Nazaré Canyon, off the eastern Atlantic coast, is known for producing some of the world's largest waves, with a depth of 5km and length of 170km. It gained fame after American surfer Garett McNamara introduced it to the big-wave community in the early 2010s. While several accidents had occurred at the spot, Thursday's incident marked the first fatality.
Local sources said sea conditions were not particularly dangerous on Thursday. Nazaré is also where German surfer Sebastian Steudtner set the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed, an 86ft (26.2m) breaker, in October 2020.
