The Road to Nazaré

“It will be small, 10 to 15-foot ”, the message said.

I looked at my phone again to make sure I wasn’t still asleep and dreaming, but there it was: a message from Twiggy inviting me to come surf Nazaré with him that Wednesday.

Every part of me wanted to say no.

I’d just arrived in Portugal after a summer of working as a surf instructor in the Mediterranean. I hadn’t surfed a wave over two foot in months. I had no equipment, never mind any real big wave surfing experience. But I knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Before I knew it my bus ticket was booked, and after a few poor attempts at holding my breath in the hotel pool I decided that I’d just have to roll with the punches. Preparation was out of the question at this stage, with only 48 hours