Big wave surfing is as much a performance piece as it is a feat of athleticism these days, so it makes sense that when the waterman troupe roll their wagons to a particular piece of the ocean we send along a film crew to turn their theatrics into the greatest show on earth. 

Late last week, when the fraternity of heavy water rangers descended upon Portugal, we rode shotgun with them every paddle of the way; now fix yourself a drink, sit back and try to relax as we serve up a 21 second swell that read over five metres on the buoys. Warning: Video does start with some bad language.