Lucas Chianca Wins Nazare Big Wave Challenge For Third Straight Year
For the third year in a row, Brazil’s Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca has topped the podium at the Nazare Big Wave Challenge. Winning the individual title, as well as the team division with his partner Pedro Scooby, Chianca has established himself as the most dominant competitor to ever pick up a tow rope at Nazare. He was joined in the winner’s circle by countrywoman Maya Gabiera, who won the women’s division, making it a full Brazilian sweep of the event.
“The teamwork mades the dream work,” beamed Chianca at the awards presentation.
With sets between 30 and 40 feet, it wasn’t the most massive day at Nazare in history, but the big, rolling peaks allowed Chianca to lean into his high-performance game. Laying down long, flowing carves and powerful, under-the-lip hacks, at times it looked as if he was just having fun at a three-foot beachbreak. Always one to push the limits, at one point during the contest Chianca flipped his jet ski with Scooby on the back.
World record holder and Nazare pioneer Maya Gabiera now adds winner of the 2024 Nazare Big Wave Challenge to her lengthy list of accomplishments.
Chianca makes it three wins in a row with his masterclass in high-performance big-wave surfing at the Nazare Big Wave Challenge.
Scooby gunning it for the shoulder on one of the bigger waves of the day.
The Atlantic Ocean turning on for the Nazare Big Wave Challenge.
Taking honors for Most Committed was France's Roseyro.
Charging all day, Des Bouillons was one of two women in the draw.
No stranger to Nazare, Von Rupp and Roseryo took second in the team standings.
The scene at Nazare.
He didn't break his world record at Nazare, but Germany's Steudtner still went plenty big.
For Gabiera, her win further cements her legacy at Nazare. Having put in over a decade in the water there, including almost losing her life and setting a world record, few know the European big-wave spot like her. And while she was reportedly nursing a knee injury going into the event and admittedly hadn’t been surfing much recently, her local knowledge and experience gave her the advantage against Michelle des Bouillons, the only other female in the draw.
One of the standouts of the event, was France's Clement Roseyro. Teaming up with Portugal charger Nic von Rupp, the two took second-place in the team results, while relative unknown Roseyro put himself on the map, earning the Most Committed award for the effort. Clearly, he's going to be someone to keep an eye on as winter in the Atlantic continues.
Not all fun and games, the smaller surf meant competitors were forced to surf closer to the foreboding rocks and cliffs that front Nazare. And with performance levels being pushed, there were plenty of heavy wipeouts throughout the day. Thanks to the skills of the water safety crew, everyone made it safely back to the harbor at the end of the day.
The WSL Big Wave season continues as the waiting period for the Pe’ahi Challenge runs through the end of March and the Pacific still has plenty of time to turn on.
Nazare Big Wave Challenge Team Results
- Lucas Chianca, Pedro Scooby
- Nic Von Rupp, Clemente Roseyro
- Rodrigo Koxa, Vitor Faria
- Pierre Rollet, Rafael Tapia
- Sebastian Steudtner, Eric Rebiere
- Andrew Cotton, Will Skudin
- Michelle des Bouillons, Ian Consenza
- Maya Gabiera, Antonio Laureano
- Joao de Macdo, Antonio Silva
Watch: Why Are The Biggest Waves In The World Ridden At Nazare?
With more than 25 years of writing about surfing, the ocean and action sports, Jake Howard continues to share stories, profiles and issues that shape the surfing world. One of the premier subject-matter experts in the field today, he's savvy in the ways of print, digital and social media, his breadth of work is expansive. Getting his start writing Surfline surf reports and recording the phone reports for 976-SURF in the late '90s, Jake served as the managing editor for Surfer Magazine in the early 2000s before moving on to launch RedBullSurfing.com and cover surfing for ESPN and the X Games. Over the years, Jake has also enjoyed time behind the edit desk at The Surfer's Journal, as well as the World Surf League, where he worked as the Senior Editor for a number of years. Beyond producing editorial content, Jake has served as a digital marketer and copywriter for iconic surf brands such as Quiksilver, Roxy and Rip Curl. Writing thousands of pages of copy for Surfline, he has deep SEO experience as well. The surf columnist for the San Clemente Times, Jake continues to dedicate himself to the culture and history of the sport through his involvement with the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente.