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NAZARE, Portugal, already an October XXL candidate is forecast to receive a second more powerful swell this weekend.

It was October 17th, less than two weeks ago that Garrett McNamara and CJ Macias towed a Billabong XXL nomination at Nazare -- in some of the largest surf ever ridden in Portugal. These were definitely the biggest waves seen this year as part of the ZON North Canyon Show 2011, a forward thinking project by the local city hall aiming to promote Nazare as a surf destination for the slightly unhinged.

Off the coast here lies the Nazare Canyon, a rare geomorphological phenomenon, the biggest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. A 170km gap in the continental shelf some 5km deep focussing Atlantic energy right on the beach of Praia do Norte and creator of abnormally sized waves in comparison to the rest of the Portuguese coast.

Garrett was towing with CJ on the first big swell of the project. The swell had been building since Sunday and peaked on Monday. McNamara towed into the biggest wave ridden here this year, the biggest wave of the three day swell and a classic start to the North Atlantic big wave season.

Garrett McNamara on the XXL drop

© Polvo / Jorge Leal & Wilson Ribeiro - 2012