Praia do Norte’s very high breaking waves form due to the presence of the underwater Nazaré Canyon.

In November 2011, surfer Garrett McNamara, who resides in Hawai'i, surfed a record-breaking giant wave: 23.8 m (78 ft) from trough to crest, at Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal.

[2] On 28 January 2013, McNamara returned to the spot and successfully surfed a wave that appeared even larger, but is awaiting an official measurement as of November 2018.

[3] On November 8, 2017, Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa took the record by surfing an 24.4 m (80 ft) wave at Praia do Norte which was captured in a video that went viral over social media.

On October 29, 2020, German surfer Sebastian Steudtner broke the previous record by surfing an 26.2 m (86 ft) wave.