TORRE DE BELEM

Torre de Belém is one of Portugal's most iconic symbols. It is more than 500 years old and its history dates back to when Portugal was one of the most powerful countries in the world (now you know we're talking about something really, really old). It used to be a defense tower, then a prison, and now it is considered world heritage by UNESCO. Yes, Torre de Belém is a big deal on the land of Tiago Pires, Frederico Morais and CR7.

So... what does all this have to do with surfing? Well, most of the time, nothing at all. This amazing monument is located closer to the heart of Lisbon than to the sea, deep in the Tagus river and there you can see the most unexpected types of tourists. But not surfing tourists.

But this setting does not contemplate the possibily of a huge winter storm sweeping down the Atlantic shores. And this is just what happened during the Doris storm. Storms are known influencers of alternative peak searching and often make people glide through weird, sheltered waves. And this is what João Kopke, a professional surfer and musician from Portugal did, taking it to an extreme and bringing his board to Torre de Belém.

Is there a more unconventional surfing story?

Photo & video credits by White Flag Productions