Surfing: Nazaré returns to normal after Márcio Freire’s death – 02/04/2023 – Sport

The first fatal accident in giant wave surfing in the city of Nazaré, in Portugal, the death of Brazilian Márcio Freire, 47, one of the pioneers of the sport, completes one month this Sunday (5). Gradually, the routine in the region, which attracts professional and amateur surfers from all over the world, was returning to normality, after initial days of mourning in which, even with the sea in good conditions, many athletes preferred to stay on the sand.

In a very sunny week, despite the low temperatures and the biting wind of the Portuguese winter, Praia do Norte is back to its usual rhythm, with surfers active whenever the water conditions are favorable.

In conversation circles, however, the subject is still fresh. With more than three decades of dedication to the sport, Freire was considered a reference for many of the giant wave athletes, who at this time of year land in force in the city of about 15 thousand inhabitants.

The City Council (equivalent to the city hall) of Nazaré issued a note in which it mourned the death of the Brazilian, but did not announce changes in the safety protocol for the busy season of giant waves in the city, from October to March.

A week after the accident, surfer Jeff White, 22, arrived at the beach. Accompanied by his girlfriend, also a surfer, he observed a heavy atmosphere, which gradually dissipated over the subsequent weeks.

“We had planned this trip for a long time and had expected a big party, but the weather was really bad. I felt that a lot of people just didn’t want to venture into the manoeuvres. Everyone looked very sad,” said the Briton.

The so-called “Cannon da Nazaré” has already been the scene of other serious accidents, some of them with Brazilian surfers, including Maya Gabeira and Pedro Scooby.

Because of the power of the waves, the municipality has a special safety plan, which conditions the distribution of equipment and human resources to the classification of the risk conditions of the sea.

At the green level, for situations with waves of up to 5 meters, there is no special device activated. The situation changes at the yellow level, with swells between 5 and 10 meters, when two watchmen and a buggy are called in to follow the action at sea.

In the orange level, with waves between 10 and 15 meters, or in the red, with giant swells that exceed 15 meters, the complete safety apparatus comes into play, which also includes firefighters, lifeguards, tractors and medical staff.

On the day of the accident, the waves at Praia do Norte were about 6 meters, considered “small” compared to the big swells that mark winter in the region.

Australian photographer Peter “Joli” Wilson accompanied, recording the waves that afternoon from the sand. He described the accident as a fatality – a view shared by surfers who have been frequenting the place in a normal climate.

“I have pictures of the wave [do acidente], and it was quite beautiful. It was already the end of the afternoon, and, from my point of view as a photographer, the light was very beautiful, it was already starting to take on that golden tone. It wasn’t an angry wave, it was beautiful to look at. Basically, he got caught in the foam at the end of the wave. The conditions were quite serene and beautiful, it wasn’t a swell that looked dangerous or ugly”, he said, in an interview with the Portuguese newspaper Expresso.

Márcio Freire was used to facing much larger dimensions. Born in Bahia, he fell in love with the sea as a child and collected wave adventures from all over the world.

One of the pioneers of giant waves, he began to attract attention in the sport surfing in Maui, Hawaii, where he arrived in 1998. When he faced the dreaded Jaws wave without the aid of a jetski or safety equipment, he attracted fans and gained a good reputation even among the closed community of local surfers. For his performance, he received, along with fellow Bahians Danilo Couto and Yuri Soledade, the nickname “mad dog” (mad dog).

The trio had their trajectory told in the documentary “Mad Dogs”, from 2016. Since the accident with Márcio, production has been on the rise at Garage, a platform for displaying adventure and extreme sports content.

Despite the recognition among his peers, Freire always said that he almost never made money from surfing and that he worked in several other activities to sponsor himself. One of the rare exceptions of profit from the sport, according to him, was precisely the documentary.

In 2015, the “mad dog” was in the news for escaping unharmed after falling while surfing his old acquaintance Jaws. Recorded on video, the spectacular tumble was nominated for the “Best Wipeout” category at a WSL (World Surfing League) award.

One of the directors of the Big Wave Assessment Group, an organization that offers safety training in the universe of giant waves, Zachary DiIonno says that, despite the great evolution in safety equipment for the sport, it is important that surfers undergo specific training before starting to face the walls of water.

“In general, there are no legal requirements to surf giant waves. Whether in Hawaii, California or Brazil, usually anyone can come and surf”, he explains.

According to him, although in some places the surfing community manages to self-regulate, avoiding the practice of less able people, it is always essential that athletes are aware of safety requirements and rescue maneuvers.

“A person with safety training, in case of an emergency, is a huge asset”, says DiIonno, noting that surfers can act decisively in rescues, especially identifying cases in which their companions do not quickly return to the surface. Another essential performance is in resuscitation maneuvers and cardiac massage.

They were not enough for Freire.