TAG Heuer XXL Biggest Wave Nominee - Francisco Porcella

Nazaré, Portugal, February 28, 2017.

When all is said and done, when sizes and comparisons and measurements are completed and we have a winner, this ride of Francisco Porcella's is something new to the surfing world at large. That a wave so big could be ridden from so deep and for such a long time is new ground.

There were two other tow teams eyeing the wave, but Porcella got in first and claimed ownership. He soon noticed that he was deep -- way deep -- and started driving across the massive face, trying to get to the other side of the upwelling peak. He made it, and despite the chop and the wind and the wash and the rips all trying to throw him off, as well as gravity and the trajectory of his speed run, he managed to ride this monster to completion and finished it off against a whitewater closeout approaching from the other side of the beach.

This wave is in the running for the Billabong Ride of The Year, and it is one of four nominations that the Italian surfer scores for the 2017 BWAs. So no matter what, the man will most likely walk away with prizes. It's the sort of wave that will be remembered for a long time to come, and not only for it's height but just for itse enormity -- it resembled a mountain, Porcella resembled a skier, and that giant, breaking lip resembled an avalanche coming down the mountain toward him.