This article originally appeared on VICE Sports France.Every year, when autumn approaches, big-wave surfers meet up in Portugal at Praia do Norte, in Nazaré, a village located about 100 kilometers north of Lisbon.On Monday, conditions seemed ideal: about a dozen surfers were on the water to try to surf the gigantic Portuguese waves. Among them was Garrett McNamara. The American holds the record for the biggest wave ever surfed, with a height of 23.77 meters. It was November 1, 2011, at the same spot, in Nazaré.