Pororoca: surfing the Amazon

12 marzo 2007

Twice a year, between the months of February and March, the Atlantic Ocean waters roll up the Amazon river, in Brazil, generating the longest wave on the Earth. The phenomenon, known as the Pororoca, is caused by the tides of the Atlantic Ocean wich meet the mouth of the river. This tidal bore generates waves up to 12 feet high which can last for over half an hour.

The name "Pororoca" comes from the indigenous Tupi language, where it translates into "great destructive noise". The wave can be heard about 30 minutes before its arrival, and it's so powerful that it can destroy anything, including trees, local houses and all kind of animals.

The wave has become popular with surfers. Since 1999, an annual championship has been held in São Domingos do Capim. However, surfing the Pororoca is especially dangerous, as the water contains a significant amount of debris from the margins of the river (often, entire trees).

The record that we could find for surfing the longest distance on the Pororoca was set by Picuruta Salazar, a brazilian surfer who, in 2003, managed to ride the wave for 37 minutes and travel 12.5 kilometers. A surfer’s dream: riding an almost never-ending wave.

Surfers have only recently realized the extreme challenge of surfing the “Pororoca”, despite the fact of the large risks involved; ship waste and wreckage, poisonous snakes, to name just a few. This massive wave gives them the chance to surf and stay on their boards for an extremely long time.

The Pororoca is not at all predictable; sometimes the wave allows the surfers to cut huge turns, as if they were on the ocean, while other times it lets them drift.

More info and sources: 1, 2, 3, 4 y 5 / Wanna digg this?

25 Respuestas ( Deja un comentario )

  1. Henry Marcos dijo...
  2. Great post here! Dramatic use of photos and video.

    You are my choice for the "Post of the Day" award!

    http://postawards.blogspot.com/2007/03/post-of-day-fogonazos.html

  3. Antonio Martínez Ron dijo...
  4. Thank you so much, I feel honored :-)

  5. Web Satan dijo...
  6. Man its really cool..

  7. Leon dijo...
  8. Amazing. Great post.

  9. Anónimo dijo...
  10. That's pretty amazing, but man, that is some brown water.

  11. Unknown dijo...
  12. Esto es oro! me ha encantado , lo he copiado en mi blog. Espero k no os importe.

  13. Antonio Martínez Ron dijo...
  14. No hay problema, pero por favor cita la fuente. Gracias

  15. Anónimo dijo...
  16. Is Martin Strel aware of this? See Amazonswim.com for updates on Martin's marathon swim down the Amazon River.

  17. Anónimo dijo...
  18. check out the documentary by bill heath on this very topic.


    http://www.bhandf.com/2007/qt%20video/pororoca.mov

  19. Anónimo dijo...
  20. Slik Ta: Y Amazon Pororoca dameis tado paly, fargg nysi aleis. Btandei lon'do djwjyik Brasil. Wow! -- Peub Tryg, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.

  21. Anónimo dijo...
  22. Small point - the world record is not currently held for riding the Amazon bore, but the Severn in England:
    http://news.goldcoastoceanfest.co.uk/2006/04/11/severn-bore-takes-surfer-on-worlds-longest-ride/#more-79

  23. Corran dijo...
  24. Nice. I LOVED that wave. so awesome. We went and surfed it in Kayaks too (http://www.2imagine.net/films/film9.html)

    Corran

  25. The Swell dijo...
  26. Very impressive, I have posted a link to this article on my own blog:

    http://swelltales.blogspot.com/

  27. Anónimo dijo...
  28. Sweet! Heard about this for the first time 2 years ago. The link is going on my blog NOW.

    Thanks! Land-locked surfer-eros have hope!

    Tudo Bem!!!

    http://www.thegreenv.com

    (PS...at that time, i heard about a very scary fish that surfers had to be cautious about who surfed the amazon...it swam up very small orifices in the body !...may you all be safe!)

    tgv

  29. Beach Bum dijo...
  30. Fascinating - we have the Severn Bore in the UK but it ain't anything like this. Heard about the one in China??? Anyone got any links or shots to the Chinese one?

    Cheers,
    Beach Bum

  31. surf98/dgeorge dijo...
  32. very nice video, looks like it is holds enormous power. thanks for sharing it, will link to your site in the next weeks from my blog http://www.dgthekneelo.blogspot.com I think my surf site http://www.surf98.com already links to you? only checked it again after watching a load of video (march 2007) from the severn bore UK. but thanks again from the UK.

  33. Anónimo dijo...
  34. Hi there,

    This is absolutely unreal!
    I mean, sooooo kool.

    I want to see the pororoca next spring but I have no idea when it will come.

    I need your help.
    Thank you.

  35. Anónimo dijo...
  36. Very cool. I'd be worried about the debris,not to mention the animals, but it's a sweet wave and it would be a great ride to just cruise up-river.

  37. Anónimo dijo...
  38. Wow! Great waves. My boyfriend are fond of surfing, and he is much handsome in comparison with guys on your pictures ;)

  39. planet dijo...
  40. I need high resolution photos of the pororoca. If you can help email me at planetspangler@gmail.com

  41. admin dijo...
  42. wow

  43. Benny Surfer dijo...
  44. Where is you surfing ? how was water brown?

  45. Anónimo dijo...
  46. wow amazing and great post

  47. Anonymous Surfing dijo...
  48. Cool pics!

  49. Davis Miller dijo...
  50. I like this place! I love the idea and wish there was a place like this in Astoria, Queens. I am a surfer and found a "real surfer bar" in Point Break NYC. I am kinda jealous ;0PIts filled with surfers, people who like surfers, people who like the beach and people who don't want to live close to town. I really like this place. You know what they have these real Proctor and Channel One surfboards on the wall. It's nice for coming any day of the week and eating a late brunch. The food was outstanding. The brunch and sides were prefect and tasty. It is a perfect "escape" from city living. It is probably one of the only places where you can get a nice frozen pina colada or margarita. The service was on hit. They came up and checked on us so many times and made sure everything was up to par. It gets very active and the bartenders keep everybody having a good time. The bartender was very accommodating. He was nice enough to make a drink, that wasn't on the menu, for me :0) Did I mention the bartenders are nice eye candy. It was amazing to see their “das boot” which is shaped like a boot filled with beer. Don’t get me wrong, I am not drunk…it’s an actual boot shaped beer container ready to be emptied. Try it ..You will love it!! Oh. How can I forget, they even have a wheel o' shots where you just have to spin it and have to drink whatever shot it lands on!! Now call that bar creativity at its best!!! And when I spill a tray full of shots on myself, the bartender so kindly remakes them for me? Good music, too, and the decor helped us weather an otherwise overcast and rainy day. You know that old song "Brandy"? It goes, "Brandy, you're a fine girl, what a good wife you would be. But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea." I believe Brandy works here. No reason, I just do. And that song happens to be a guilty pleasure of mine, so that's a plus in my book. You can simply waltz over to this colorful and warm establishment, enjoy some drinks with friends, and walk home. The bar is right at the center, so you can walk to either side for drinks, and the bartenders are friendly and at your service. There is a variety of seating, good music, and friendly neighborhood people to make your time more enjoyable. Not pretentious, very cozy, I think Point Break is a fabulous place to spend some time with friends.

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