Full Frame: The Other Side Of Nazaré

“Growing up in Nazaré, we were basically forbidden to go to Praia do Norte,” says photographer Helio Antonio. 

“It was like a ghost town. Not many people lived there, and they felt like a different tribe. Sometimes, fishermen would fish from the rocks near the lighthouse, but it felt like nobody really went further than that.” 

The main town of Nazaré features a beachside promenade flanked by narrow streets with apartments, shops, and restaurants. It’s about one kilometer (just over half a mile) to the north beach, where various Daves, Garrets, and Germanic peoples attempt to get their names printed in the marketing materials of an Irish brewery. 

You’d also have to climb over the big fucking cliff visible in the photograph above to get there. 

“There used to be a crazy sandbar on this side of town, but many fishermen died because of it over the years. Nazaré was a poor village — either the fishermen went out, or there was no food on the table. And there were no motorboats. They were using paddles, and they had to go through the waves. That’s why they built the harbor in 1983. After that, the flow of the sand changed. The beach got way longer, but the wave got worse.” 

Since the 1980s, the number of boats and fishers in Portugal has dropped by 75% and 50%, respectively. There’s still a fishing industry in Nazaré, but it’s not like it used to be. The warehouses next to the harbor are now filled with jet skis, as well as more rubber and straps than you’d expect to encounter in the average BDSM lounge. Meanwhile, tourism has exploded in Nazaré. A glance at Airbnb reveals a total of 692 listings in the town. Some houses are selling for over a million USD. 

“I took this photo in February of this year, during Storm Louis,” Helio said. “It was the same swell that Lucas Chumbo got his really big one. He was trying to get some waves at Praia do Norte this day, but it wasn’t really working, so I decided to go shoot the other side. 

“It still has its moments, it’s just not as consistent as the old days. There are makeable waves on the big days, but nobody tries to get them.” 

Helio works with other Portuguese photographers to create the annual photo book Salitre, which you can check out here.