Marcio Freire, legend of Brazilian surfing, has died: overwhelmed by a wave in Portugal

Márcio Freire didn’t make it this time. He defeated the sea. The 47-year-old Brazilian surfing legend was overwhelmed and killed by the wave he tried to ride off the coast of Nazaré, in central-northern Portugal, the mythical Atlantic ocean where world champions compete. The news has plunged into mourning one of the most practiced sports in the Lusitanian country and obviously also in Brazil. Freire was one of three surfers immortalized in the 2016 documentary, “Mad Dogs,” about trying to conquer the giant wave “Jaws” in Hawaii.

Last Thursday he was training in the water when he slipped from the saddle which is dragged by the jet ski with which the athletes are launched on the crest of the wave. The thrust allows them to anticipate the wall, even up to 30 meters high, and descend straight like swords before the waterfall falls on you. Rowing with only your arms you would never make it. The wave now full of foam reached him and swallowed him. It’s the end. Impossible to stay under water for so long, tossed and submerged by such a monster. His body was collected by rescuers, taken to the beach, subjected to cardiac massage. But there was nothing to be done. He died of cardiac arrest, explains the report from the National Maritime Authority of Portugal.

Freire, remember el Pais and also the Brazilian online edition of Oul, was considered a pioneer in the wider surfing community. “We face the sea without safety. Pure courage driven by the desire for a challenge, as in all extreme sports”, Márcio said in “Mad Dogs”, produced by Surfer Today. “The risks are high without adequate security. If an accident happens, it’s the end of the journey.” Happened. Social media has been inundated with comments, memories, farewells and words of despondency. “Today we lost one of ours,” writes Nic von Rupp who posted a story dedicated to his colleague on Instagram. “Today I saw him surfing all day in Nazaré with a huge smile. Well, I want to remember him with that smile”. Similar words also from Thiago Jacaré, another well-known Brazilian surfer. On social media he called him “a true hero rather than an idol”.

Thanks to the submarine canyon that opens up in front of this point, Nazaré is considered the place where the biggest waves in the world are formed. This is where international records are set. The last one was established in 2020 by German Sebastian Steudtner. The mass of water that arrives from the USA and Canada falls and then rises suddenly raising impressive walls. The champions launch themselves under the push of the jet skis that go back and forth all day and glide overwhelmed by the wave that rolls over behind them. Hundreds of enthusiasts stop every day on the spur dominated by the red turret of a lighthouse and watch one of the most fascinating shows offered by nature.