BIG WAVE SHOWING
GOLD Coast surfer Jamie Mitchell has labelled conditions at infamous bigwave site Nazare some of the most challenging he has ever encountered as he joined the world’s best chargers in tackling the iconic break.
Mitchell won the inaugural World Surf League Big Wave Tour event held at the famous Portugal break last year.
And he was in the thick of the action again over the weekend as the WSL event returned to the site.
Mitchell started his campaign on Saturday (Australian time) as strong winds whipped up massive peaks, forcing event organisers to call a close to the day’s action straight after the completion of Mitchell’s heat.
The experienced waterman – he also won the iconic Molokai to Oahu paddleboard race for 10 consecutive years from 2002-2011 – conquered the wild conditions to make it through to the semi-finals of the Nazare event which were held last night.
“The wind was crazy strong and some of the most challenging conditions I’ve ever surfed in,” Mitchell said of the opening day which had waves with faces of more than 10m.
“I only got one wave but was enough to squeak into the semi-finals.”
Earlier, Mitchell had helped out former WSL Big Wave Tour commissioner Peter Mel, who was set to compete in Portugal before his bag went missing.