SURFING THE SWELL OF THE DECADE IN MADEIRA ISLAND | VON FROTH

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of Portugal back-to-back. Beautiful weather, 25 degrees. I mean, what a paradise. We left Lisbon airport last night and it was pouring rain. We got one of the biggest storms marching into Europe right now. Everything is covered in snow. Waves are destroying everything and we get to Madrid and it's just this, you know. No wind, sunshine, perfect weather. It is really, really incredible, you know. Madrid is a very special place, you know. It's a very traditional Portuguese place. The food, the people, the architecture. Very European in terms of structure. You know, these tunnels that just give you easy access from north to south, from Funchal to the northern part of the island. It's very user-friendly. But funny enough, it actually sits closer in the Atlantic Ocean to Africa than it does to Lisbon, to the European continent. We're only 280 nautical miles to Casablanca, Morocco. And we're 500 nautical miles to Lisbon. And it's incredible. I mean, this place is surfing paradise. The way this island sits in the Atlantic Ocean, how it sits geographically and in terms of swell exposure, you know, makes it that the south shore catches, you know, the west swell. And it's all about the rights. Places like Poulo do Mar, Jardim do Mar, Ponta Pequena. All little perfect rights that get pretty big. And then on the north shore, you got the lefts. You know, Ribeira das Janelas, Contreiras. Makes it a little, you know, just a perfect split of lefts on one side and rights on the other side. What the north shore and the south shore have in common is obviously the powerful waves, the big boulder rocks. You really have to be, you know, an expert to surf these waves. And obviously also these beautiful cliffs, you know, it's just very characteristic for Madeira, you know, very postcard. When explorers arrived here to Madeira in 1420, they looked at these blooming cliffs and signaled it as the gates of hell. You know, they thought from here onwards was really the entrance to hell. And you can understand why. I mean, it's pretty spooky looking at the height of these cliffs with the big shades overcasting the deep blue ocean. Okay, guys, enough talking. We got some serious stuff going on right now. We got an historic swell in the ocean. Right now, one of the biggest ever. But that is really recognized for its big waves. Places comparable with places like Hawaii. We got a group of big wave surfers here with us right now. It's about to happen. We're going to ride some huge waves. Let's go. Oh, my God. Look at these smiling tourists. Dude, your hair is in the way. Yeah, boys. You want one? That was some of the most pristine big wave surfing in Europe. That was fun. Dude, how insane was that session, huh? That was fun. Dude, it felt like you're surfing Waimea. So many different shades of big waves. And moves around. Keeps you on your toes. Like, such good training, you know? Like, never in the same spot. Like, out, in, doubled up. Must be one of the best big wave spots in the world. This wave must be, when it's low tide and barreling, I bet it drains. For sure. It's for sure. It has every feel of it doing it. So powerful. So intimidating, too, at the same time. I mean, like, you're out there, and those things coming at you. Like, dude, they're steep, dude. My first wave was strong. Dude, I was tripping the first couple waves. I was like, wow. This thing's gnarly. And you get smoke, too, huh? So it was like, no, we got to sit over there. That's where it was. First wave, I got sucked over. Dragged all the way close to the rocks, man. I pop up, and I'm like, dude. Board hit me underwater. I started paddling. I thought I pulled my shoulder on my first one. Second wave, big face plant. You had that nice airdrop, though. Yeah, that's fine. I got a couple of sick ones. You got a couple of sick ones, huh? Thanks for letting me use your board. Dude, you're the man. Thank you. You know, us growing up as Portuguese surfers, we always had to go to the other side of the world to get tiny bits of big wave surfing. And it's so incredible to have all this Portuguese talent right here. You know, João getting some bombs, Miguel getting some bombs. And really, you know, expressing our Portuguese talent here on the coast. In our Portuguese way, right? It's always been here, bro. It's always been here. Why did you guys ever come to Hawaii? Just scared. Why did you guys ever come to Hawaii? I don't know why. I like Hawaii. I feel like we're in Hawaii right now. That was it. One of the craziest big wave sessions in Jardim do Mar. I can't believe the conditions we had this morning. It was so sick sharing it with the boys. Everyone getting some crazy waves. Now it's time to enjoy some ponchos here and experience what this island is all about, you know? Thanks for making it happen. Thanks for letting me use your boards. And your coiche. Yeah, my gear. And your fins. And your... And your wire. Good call, boys. Let's go have some fun, guys. Incredible. I mean, look at this. Look at this sunshine. Look at these rocks. We're 2,000 meters from the waterline. And, I mean, the air is thin. You can't hear any noise. It's complete calmness up here. No wonder people love Madeira. I mean, this place is just astonishing, you know? From the climate, 365 days a year sunshine. From the beautiful cocktails in Funchal. Belmont Hotel. Jumping into the crystal clear water. The water's still warm even during winter time, which is incredible. I mean, makes Madeira one of the perfect surf trips for winter time, you know? On the menu, you have perfect lefts on one side, perfect rights on the other side. We had an incredible swell here at Jardim du Mar. Some 20, 30-foot clean faces like I've never seen before around this area. It's been incredible. It's been a weekend filled with emotions, from big waves to amazing shots. Besides surfing, photography is one of my favorite hobbies and just, you know, being around this nature, taking photos has been incredible. Hope you guys enjoyed this episode. I had a lot of fun showing you guys a little bit more of Madeira. This is it. The chapter is over. Hope to see you guys in the next episode. Let's go.