Surfer riding a wave in Nazaré, Portugal Jun 15, 2024

Today"s image shows an intrepid surfer riding a wave at Nazaré, Portugal. Nazaré on the west coast of Portugal is a popular tourist destination, with people flocking from all over the world to enjoy its sandy beaches in summer. It is on the Atlantic coast and is known for its giant waves, which can reach over 30 metres in height. Come winter, the surfers take over. Thanks to an underwater canyon, enormous waves form off the coast, making it a surfers" paradise. Several surf records have been broken here, including the biggest wave ever surfed—an incredible 26 metres. Surfing has a long history; around 5,000 years ago in Peru, people used reed watercraft to surf the waves when they were out fishing. It was in pre-colonial Hawaii, however, that modern surfing was born. Here, people started to stand on their boards and to surf for fun. So, wax down your surfboards and go out and catch some waves!

© Rui Caria/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jun 15, 2025Lesser rheas, Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Sep 1, 2023Turkey tail mushroom
Sep 27, 2023French River, Ontario, Canada
Sep 8, 2023The Circus, Bath, Somerset, England
Nov 23, 2023Teide National Park, Tenerife, Canary Islands
Sep 13, 2025Point Reyes National Seashore
Mar 15, 2025The Temple of Saturn, Rome, Italy
May 6, 2025An ultralight aircraft flying over the sands of Namibia
Jan 9, 2024Rio Grande, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
Nov 30, 2025Christmas market in Leipzig, Germany
Feb 22, 2025Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Nov 4, 2025Tower Bridge, London, England
Sep 19, 2025Thousand Islands region, St. Lawrence River, USA-Canada border
Dec 1, 2024Icebergs, Antarctica
Aug 1, 2024Floating fruit market, Kaptai Lake, Rangamati, Bangladesh
Dec 2, 2023Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India
Nov 19, 2025Hungarian Parliament Building, Budapest, Hungary
May 5, 2024Colonnade in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico
May 29, 2025Miravet, Catalonia, Spain
Apr 5, 2024The Bahamas
Jun 13, 2024Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Oct 8, 2025Octopus cyanea
Sep 13, 2024Point Reyes National Seashore
Apr 16, 2025Kachina Bridge, Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah, United States
Jan 6, 2024A male chaffinch in a crab apple tree
Nov 18, 2023Polar bear mother and cubs
May 15, 2025Palace of Westminster, London, England
Apr 24, 2025Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska, United States
Dec 31, 2024Fireworks over Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Canada
Feb 16, 2026Banff, Alberta, Canada
Oct 4, 2023Tarantula Nebula