Surfers from all over Brazil gathered this week at the Amazon River’s mouth to ride some of the world’s longest-lasting waves, when the incoming tide roars upriver in a broad band that can keep surfboards afloat for kilometers (miles).
“You have to throw yourself in that vibe and integrate yourself with nature. Never try to conquer it, because that’s impossible,” Noélio Sobrinho, president of Brazilian Pororoca Surfing Association, said in an interview with The Associated Press.
The waves happen twice a day when the ocean waters flow into the river, rather than the other way around. But it is especially powerful – and surfable – during days surrounding full and new moons, when the ocean’s tide is at its highest, creating a wide and long-lasting wave that surfers can ride for up to 40 minutes.
The phrase Pororoca is believed to derive from a indigenous word either for “big roar” or “destructor.” The phenomenon has done its share of destruction in remote riverside communities in the states of Para, Amapa and Maranhao, but also provides them with revenue from sports tourism. It is also a risky expedition for boat and jet ski drivers who ferry surfers and who must avoid getting stuck in sandbanks or caught by the oncoming wave.
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