Marcio Freire: Veteran Brazilian surfer dies riding giant waves at Nazare in Portugal

Tributes have poured in since legendary Brazilian surfer Marcio Freire died on Thursday while practising tow-in surfing on the waves at Nazare on Portugal’s central coast. According to the local maritime authority, the 47-year-old surfer was brought to the beach by the support staff but attempts to revive him remained unsuccessful.

Marcio Freire was one of the three pioneering Brazilian surfers who rose to fame as ‘Mad Dogs’ as they successfully attempted to conquer the giant wave “Jaws” in Hawaii. On Thursday, he died while surfing the famous Atlantic waves in Portugal, which house the Nazare Canyon. Nazare is known for having some of the biggest waves in the world. Remarkably, the waves are further magnified due to the presence of an underwater canyon 5 kilometres deep. The canyon ends at the point where the North Atlantic meets the shoreline.


Nazare was put on the map in 2011 by Hawaiin Garrett McNamara when he bagged the world record for riding the biggest wave ever at 78 feet. McNamara was surpassed by Brazilian Rodrigo Koxa in 2017, at Nazare. The world record was again rewritten in 2020 when German Sebastian Steudtner broke Koxa’s statistics and rode an 86-foot wave.

Tributes pour in for Marcio Freire
Shortly after Marcio Freire’s death was announced, tributes poured in for the iconic surfer. Another big-wave surfer Nic von Rupp on Instagram said, “Today we lost one of ours”. Remembering Friere as a “legend”, Rupp said that the 47-year-old “surfed all day with a big smile on his face”. Brazilian surfer Thiago Jacare also paid tribute to his close friend, Friere and hailed him as “more than an idol” and a “true hero”. Photographer Fred Pompermayer also said that today the world lost a “great man” and a “legendary surfer”.

FAQs:

1. How old was Marcio Freire?
   He was 47 years old at the time of his death on Thursday.
2. When was the ‘Mad Dogs’ documentary released?
   In 2016