Between the months of February and March, the Atlantic Ocean waters roll up the Amazon river twice a year in the Amazonas river in Brazil. This phenomenon, which is also called tidal bore (Gezeiten-Flutwelle), generates the longest wave on the Earth. The tides of the Atlantic Ocean meet the mouth of the Amazonas. This leads to a wave up to 12 feet high which can last for over 30 minutes.
The indigenous Tupi-people called this phenomenon “Pororoca” which means ‘the great destructive noise’. (It is in fact so loud that it can be heard about 30 minutes before its arrival.) The wave is so powerful that it can destroy anything: Local houses, trees and all kind of animals.
A surfer’s dream: riding an almost never-ending wave.
The wave has become popular with surfers as since 1999 an annual championship has been held in São Domingos do Capim. However, surfing the Pororoca is pretty dangerous, as the water contains a significant amount of debris. Sometimes entire trees are floating alongside the surfers in the river.
Brazilian surfer Picuruta Salazar managed to ride the wave for 37 minutes and travel more than 12 kilometers in 2003.
2 Comments
Como diz o refrão popular, “é vivendo e aprendendo…”! Estou vendo pela primeira vez o surf no Pororoca! Muito bom trabalho e divulgação!
What a ride on this gigantic wave, I wish I knew how to surf!