Around The World In 80 Waves

Serginho Laus of Curitiba, Parana maneuvers past plants and debris torn from the jungle into the Araguari river while surfing the ‘Pororoca’ tidal bore wave, in the Amazon basin of Brazil in the northern state of Amapa, on April 12, 2006. Jungle foliage and tree trunks are a regular sight on the river, torn from the jungle in the wake of previous days’ wave. Laus, a veteran Pororoca surfer, set a world record and entered the Guiness Book for riding the wave for over ten kilometers and more than 33 mnutes in 2003. The tidal bore phenomenon known locally as the Pororoca, an indigenous word meaning ‘Great Noise’ or ‘Destroyer’ occurs during the Lunar Equinox in the rainy season, producing a tidal bore wave over two meters high and miles wide, washing back inland for as much as 30 miles or more. It happens for ten days a month, split between the full moon and new moon. Strong currents follow the wave and raise water levels along the river and waterways by as much as five meters. It can be heard coming several min