Legendary surfer Márcio Freire, known as “Mad Dogs,” killed in Portugal’s massive waves

Márcio Freire, a legend of Brazilian surfing, passed away while riding the massive waves in Nazaré, off the coast of Portugal. On Thursday, the 47-year-old injured himself while practicing.

In the 2016 documentary Mad Dogs about an attempt to ride Hawaii’s enormous “Jaws” wave, Freire was one of three pioneering Brazilian surfers featured.

In order to surf the largest and most hazardous waves in the world, he had relocated to the US state.

Freire reportedly crashed while practicing tow-in surfing, which involves using a Jet Ski or other form of artificial help to catch waves that are moving more quickly than they would be able to if they were paddling by hand.

He was brought back to the beach, where rescuers discovered him in cardio-respiratory arrest. Unable to be revived, he was declared dead at the spot, according to a statement from Portugal’s National Maritime Authority.

In the surfing fraternity, Freire was regarded as a big-wave pioneer who traveled the globe to surf enormous waves.

On social media, condolences have been pouring in. Nic von Rupp, a professional big-wave surfer, was the first to do so in an Instagram story:

The Nazaré Canyon on the seabed off the coast of Portugal is responsible for some of the largest and most dangerous waves in the world, which are present in the region where Freire perished.

Sebastian Steudtner, a German surfer, established the world record for thebiggest wave ever surfed in October 2020.

Several accidents have occurred there but until Thursday, none had ever been fatal.

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