Nazaré
Big wave surfing in the world’s biggest wave, in Portugal
Nazaré is not a postcard wave. No crystal-clear, turquoise water, no tropics, but dark, ice-cold and angry: a wave near Lisbon that had no name. 500,000 tons of threatening water, walls of water up to 30 metres high, right on the doorstep of Europe. When the first pictures began to circulate in the big wave community in 2010, they hit us like a bolt of lightning. In 2012 I stood at the now-famous lighthouse of Nazaré for the first time and knew: this wave would become the biggest challenge of my life.
Big wave surfing may appear suicidal, but the point is definitely not death. Quite on the contrary, the point is life: an intense life, the experience of nature, and the shifting of standards through highest possible risk control. We big wave surfers are venturous crossovers, but never daredevils. To surf this huge wave as a team and to safely return home to our families, that is what we want to achieve.
In 2017 I became the first Austrian to surf the wave at Nazaré on an XXL day, and I founded an international big wave team there. Together we developed and trained safety concepts, roles and rescue procedures.
Gigantes de Nazaré 2019
Photo: Marta Paris
Poster: Gigantes de Nazaré
Gigantes de Nazaré 2019
Gigantes de Nazaré 2019
Gigantes de Nazaré 2019
In this wave, it is not courage that decides, but preparation and teamwork.
What Nazaré teaches about leadership
Today I translate this experience for leadership teams. My keynotes and workshops address the questions that are vital in Nazaré and decide about quality in a company:
- How do I make good decisions when information is incomplete?
- When do proven standards no longer hold?
- How does a team stay able to act under pressure?
My model: Set priorities, test assumptions, change the standard.
Web Summit 2023, Lisbon
