At 58 years old, Carlos Burle from Pernambuco probably lived one of the most memorable experiences of his life when he almost drowned at Praia do Norte, in Nazaré, last Wednesday (3). It’s where surfers from all over the world face the biggest waves on the planet.
A pioneer in giant wave surfing and also a speaker, Burle knows that Nazaré represents a real danger for those who face the “tsunamis” formed by the famous Nazaré Canyon. He just didn’t imagine that, this time, he would be the protagonist of one of the biggest scares of the season.
“An episode like this makes me see how valuable life is and how vulnerable we are. This feeling of vulnerability cannot stop us, it needs to continue as a stimulus, even if it means taking risks. These situations bring a lot of learning, in extreme situations”, he told Sheet.
On the day of the accident, Burle was so confident that he joined the wave holding a digital camera. Excited to see a wall of water measuring more than 20 m — equivalent to a seven-story building — approaching, he jumped over it. He remained standing on the board for about seven seconds, until the force of the ridge knocked him over. There began his most dramatic moment, which he defined as “the greatest moment of life”.
The surfer tried to emerge, but suffered from the arrival of two other waves of the same intensity. To make matters worse, it took a while to activate the carbon dioxide device on the life jacket, as it was attached to the digital camera. When he suffered the third impact of the series, he lost orientation to what was happening around him.
Burle escaped death thanks to the precision of teamwork. In “tow-in surfing”, while an athlete is towed by a jet ski to enter the wave, another member of the team remains prepared to perform immediate rescues. Outside, experts —so-called “spotters”— monitor everything via radio, indicating the best waves and advising on the exact points for intervention. This coordinated gear is essential to reduce risks and make riding giant waves safer.
He was first rescued by Lucas Chumbo – considered one of the greatest experts in giant waves today. The former Big Brother pulled the veteran onto his own jet ski, but ended up surprised by the arrival of a new wave that caused the marine vehicle to overturn.
“The worst moment was when I took the third wave, it was the one that took me out of my sense of space. I started to feel short of breath, pressure in my lungs. When Lucas pulled me over, he asked: ‘Is everything okay?’. But I shouted: ‘No, I’m really bad’. He lost control, the jet ski turned over. I knew I needed to stay alive, I was in survival mode, I knew that at some point someone would arrive”, he reported.
It was the arrival of Will Santana from Sergipe who completed the rescue. The surfer pulled Burle and Chumbo to the “tow sled”, a floating rubber or foam platform that is attached to the back of the jet ski for rescues. Will has also had his scares in Nazaré. In February, he was swallowed by a giant wave, at the time when the Hermínia storm caused storms in Europe, and he needed to be rescued.
Burle was taken to the sand in critical condition. There he received his first treatment, before being taken to a local hospital. Daughter of the surfer and recently graduated in medicine, Iasmim followed the rescue in tears.
“I got close, still very nervous, and he was already sitting up, breathing with an oxygen mask and covered with a heating blanket. Lucas was crying. It was very traumatic. My father is like Lucas’s father too, we always say that. Already in the ambulance he was fine, he recovered quickly”, recalled Iasmim.
The veteran traveled to Rio de Janeiro shortly after the accident and underwent CT scans of his lungs and skull. There were no consequences.
“I’m very happy with what I do. I’ve been talking to my team and I’m not traumatized. This is my life, I love what I do. Today, my challenge is with myself. At 58 years old, I think I can still ride the wave with my team like a boy. I hope they continue to take me and accept me,” said Burle.
He is considered a historic surfer. In 1998, he was world champion in big waves in Mexico. In 2001, he surfed a 22.6 m wave at Mavericks, California, and received mention in the Guinness World Records.
The surfer was a coach and partnered with Maya Gabeira for nine years. In 2013, she suffered a fall in Nazaré and was unconscious at sea, until she was rescued by Burle. Seven years later, she would break the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed by a woman.
In 2023, a rescue effort was unsuccessful. Brazilian Márcio Freire, 47, died after suffering an accident while surfing in Praia do Norte. He was taken by other surfers to the sand, where lifeguards identified a cardiorespiratory arrest, and he did not survive, despite attempts at resuscitation.
According to the current Guinness ranking, German Sebastian Steudtner holds the record for the biggest wave ever surfed on the planet, with 26.2 m, in 2020, in Nazaré. Brazilian Rodrigo Koxa is second on the list, with a 24.4 m wave in 2017. Maya broke the women’s record in February 2020 by surfing a 22.4 m wall in the same scenario.
There are possibly larger waves, not yet catalogued, that could break these records. Steudtner says he surfed a 28.57 m wave, and Lucas Chumbo claims he caught a 27.50 m wave. Both await official approval.
The Nazareth Canyon
The giant wave season in Nazaré generally occurs between October and March, during a period of strong storms in the Atlantic, which generates powerful swells towards the coast. This phenomenon is amplified by the peculiar geological formation of the Nazaré Canyon.
It is an immense underwater ravine approximately 230 km long and deeper than 5,000 m. Its origin is linked to tectonic movements and the erosion process accumulated over thousands of years.
When the waves intensify, this cannon serves as a propellant that propels the waters with extreme force. Therefore, waves are not always recorded in the region. Surfers generally follow websites and institutes that offer a more accurate forecast of the phenomenon.
Nazaré is a Portuguese village with around 15 thousand inhabitants, a region that has been profoundly transformed by surf tourism. The city gained international prominence in 2011, when Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara broke the world record. Since then, local commerce has prospered, especially in the gastronomic sector, driven by the large flow of visitors, especially on “big waves” days.
