Nazaré Welcomes Russell Bierke

The locals consider it a sign of good luck to take a massive wipeout when surfing Nazaré for the first time. If the legend is true, then renowned slab hunter Russell Bierke might be the luckiest guy in Portugal. After letting go of his towline and dropping into an estimated 60-footer, the young Aussie got overtaken by the pursuing wave and disappeared for 14 agonizing seconds. We can only imagine the beating he took, but if anyone has experience in that type of situation, it’s Russell. 

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“This was by far my longest hold down ever! I barely got a breath before the second wave landed on me. Feeling pretty sore today, got a good whiplash when I skipped in front of the wave, but no injuries which is good." Glad to hear he's ok, and we look forward to seeing what else he gets up to this season.