STORY: Nazaré on Monday. It hasn’t been a particularly big day at the Portuguese big wave surf spot, world famous for surfers. But maybe a day when some people took a very close look at the rides and especially the falls. Because just a few days earlier, a well-known surfer in the scene had died. Experienced 47-year-old Brazilian surfer Marcio Freire, nicknamed “Mad Dog”. There weren’t any particularly big waves on the day of the accident and it was supposed to be a training day. He was quickly brought ashore, but all attempts at resuscitation failed. Many surfers travel to Nazaré, especially in winter. The place is considered the mecca of big wave surfers. Accidents have happened here before. However, so far none of them had been fatal.