If you were to ask a random person what they think the most dangerous wave in Portugal is, it’s likely they’d say Nazaré. But if you were to ask Nic von Rupp, a man who has surfed Nazaré extensively, he would have a different answer: Cave.
“What freaks me out more between Nazaré and Cave?” Nic says in his most recent YouTube installment. “I would say Cave freaks me out more. It’s such a difficult barrel to ride, there are so many rocks sticking out there, especially on the backhand.”
It’s a dangerous wave, to be sure. Many people have been hurt there, including Antonio Silva, who has broken his back not once, but twice. It’s a brutal wave that breaks over nearly dry reef. But that’s what Nic loves about it. “A lot of people have gotten hurt there,” Nic continued. “But it’s that excitement; that fear. That dominating of fear and that adrenaline that keeps me coming back.”