Legendary Brazilian surfer Márcio Freire has died while riding a huge wave in Nazare, off the coast of Portugal.
The 47-year-old surfer fell during practice on Thursday.
Freire is one of three Brazilian pioneer surfers featured in the 2016 documentary Mad Dogs, which aims to conquer Hawaii’s giant wave Jaws.
He moved to an American state to surf some of the biggest and most dangerous waves in the world.
Freire was surfing on a towin (a surfer’s use of an artificial assist, such as a jet ski, to catch a wave that travels faster than he could paddle by hand) when he reportedly fell.
He was taken ashore and found in cardiopulmonary arrest by rescuers, but he was unable to be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at the scene, the Portuguese National Maritime Authority said in a statement.
Freire was considered a big wave pioneer in surfing, traveling the world and riding huge waves.
He was “no security”. He was pure courage driven by a desire to ride a huge wave,” quoted Surfer Today in Mad Dogs.
The risk was too great without being “safe” enough. If an accident happens, the trip ends.
“We weren’t forced to do anything. It’s all for ourselves, for our own satisfaction.”
Tributes abounded on social media, beginning with fellow big wave surfer Nick von Rupp paying tribute to Freire on his Instagram story.
“Today we lost one of our friends. As one of the pioneers of paddleboarding at Jaws, I always had a lot of respect for Marcio. was watching
“That smile” remains in my memory.
Fellow Brazilian surfer Thiago Jacare also took to Instagram to praise his friend, calling him “more than an idol” and a “true hero.”
The place where Freire died boasts some of the world’s largest and deadliest waves, caused by the Nazaré Canyon on the ocean floor off the coast of Portugal.
In October 2020, it was also in Nazareth that German surfer Sebastian Stotner set the world record for the biggest wave ever.
There have been a few accidents before, but no fatalities until Thursday.
Leave a Reply