hiya wa howa aswat

Andrew Cotton on a mighty wave. Photo: MARK WENGLER 

MW: Well you know life’s a bitch, so you better enjoy every moment of it, cause you never know what tomorrow brings, but so far I’m still here on our amazing blue planet.

I just cam home from Portugal where I’ve been shooting the Rip Curl Pro event, but to be honest somehow I got a bit bored from all the hype. And since everybody are shooting the same pics, there is no real magic to it for me.

But Portugal offers so much more and it is one of my absolute favorite destinations in Europe. Great surf, awesome people and simply some of the best sea food on the European continent…it’s like a part of my soul never really leave Portugal when I go back to Denmark, I honestly feel very much at home down there.

Morning has broken – surf awaits.

MW: Yes I was there on that “Magic Monday” and I can assure you it was beyond anything I ever experienced before. Somehow It changed something inside of me, nothing will ever be the same. This place is SO powerful, beautiful and magical. Nazaré has an interesting history, especially the fishing has always been a huge part of Nazaré and it’s people have always battled this powerful ocean and coastline.

I saw the “Power Low” developing and moving towards the Portuguese coast, when I was in Peniche shooting Rip Curl Pro, so I started following it closely and after a while there was no doubt in my mind, this “Low” would definitely hit the Portuguese coast. So I decided to drive up there to check it out on one of the “lay days” at the Rip Curl Pro and I instantly felt the attraction to this place. So I extended my trip for 5 days, moved up there… waiting for things to happen… and they did!!

Tag teaming a beast of a wave

MW: I was so privileged to meet Garrett McNamara and his wonderful wife Nicole, also met Andrew Cotton, Hugo Vau, Nizan Benhaim plus all the rest of these fantastic people behind the McNamara crew, just such great ocean spirits all of them. So focused, yet so positive and relaxed and down to earth at the same time.

Spending time with this amazing group of top professional athletes, just getting the opportunity to explore their amazing world of Big Wave Surfing from a little distance, made me very humble and I feel very privileged to have been a small part of it all. It is exactly what I am looking for within surfing photography. It’s just so pure, unique and raw.

And it really struck me how Mr. McNamara always finds time to spend a moment with everything from old ladies to young boys, always kind and very positive to everyone – such a great living legend. Andrew Cotton, Hugo Vau and Nizan Benhaim were also very pleasant company, and I hope I will see them all again in the near future…

Hugo Vau sizing up the waves.

MW: Ohhh…difficult one!! Shot so many pics… but the morning we arrived at the Lighthouse when the “Magic Monday” was going off – that day the light was really special. Like something was just waiting to happen… Everything was purple for 5 minutes just before sunrise. So I guess that picture… it gives me such an amazing feeling just looking at it – reminiscing what it was like.

I was located on the roof of the lighthouse with a bunch of other people, just as the sun slowly came up over the horizon. I realized how big these waves, and how dangerous this day would be for the surfers going in to battle. But it wasn’t “just” the huge waves which posed a danger zone… it was also the “Hot Pot” (a very hardcore area with lots of current and rocks) close by the rocks that really made everything very sketchy. You have to be extremely focused and very skilled to surf in these conditions. This place only appeals to the very best surfers in the world.