Galileo X-Plorer in Nazaré

Galileo X-Plorer: Making a Dream Happen at Nazaré

Galileo X-Plorer came to Nazaré, Portugal to film one of the most extraordinary experiences the Big Wave Experience has to offer: taking someone who has never been near a big wave and making it possible for them to ride one of the largest waves in the world. In this Galileo X-Plorer episode, ProSieben reporter Jan arrives at Praia do Norte with a dream, and Freddy Olander’s job is to make it happen safely, authentically and on camera.

The Galileo X-Plorer camera team shooting from the water at Praia do Norte, alongside the safety jet ski and rescue sled.

What Galileo X-Plorer Filmed in Nazaré

The Galileo X-Plorer documentary captures the full reality of the Big Wave Experience rather than a staged version of it. The film follows the entire process: the briefing at the Big Wave Center in the Nazaré harbour, the equipment check, the jet ski ride out through the channel at Praia do Norte, the long wait for the right set, and the moment Jan commits to his first big wave.

Rescue sled recovery and tow-in rope work, the two routines every session at Praia do Norte is built on.

What makes the footage work is that nothing about it is simulated. The safety protocols are real. The ocean reading is real. The communication between surfer and jet ski driver is the same communication that keeps professional athletes alive on the biggest days of the season. For a television audience, this is the closest most viewers will ever get to understanding what happens in the water at Nazaré.

Who Is Freddy Olander?

Freddy Olander is a professional big wave surfer from Berlin, based in Nazaré, Portugal. With more than 20 years in the water and years of experience operating jet skis at Praia do Norte, he is one of very few German athletes competing at international level in big wave surfing. He reads the Nazaré Canyon swell, manages safety in some of the most demanding surf conditions on the planet, and runs the Big Wave Experience from the harbour at Porto de Nazaré.

That combination is exactly why production teams like Galileo X-Plorer work with him. Filming at Nazaré is not a matter of pointing a camera at a wave. It requires a team that can put people and equipment in the right place at the right moment, and get everyone out again.

A set wave at Praia do Norte with the safety skis holding position in the channel.

Why Nazaré Produces the Biggest Waves in the World

Nazaré is not an ordinary surf break. The Nazaré Canyon, one of the longest and deepest submarine canyons in Europe, runs almost perpendicular to the coastline directly in front of Praia do Norte and stretches more than 170 kilometres into the Atlantic. Swells that would lose their energy on a shallow continental shelf are instead funnelled and amplified, arriving at the beach with a size and power found nowhere else.

The result is a wave that regularly exceeds 20 metres during major winter swells and has repeatedly rewritten the world record for the largest wave ever surfed. Since Garrett McNamara first surfed there in 2011, Nazaré has become the global centre of big wave surfing and a magnet for international media.

The Big Wave Experience at Praia do Norte

The Big Wave Experience is Freddy Olander’s professional offering for individuals, media teams and corporate groups who want to get close to the world’s biggest waves. It runs in several formats, from guided jet ski tours through the Nazaré big wave zone to full tow-in experiences where guests actually surf a wave themselves.

• Guided jet ski tours through the big wave zone at Praia do Norte
• Rides on the rescue sled alongside breaking waves
• Tow-in surfing for suitable participants
• Full safety briefing and professional equipment provided
• Media production support, drone coordination and harbour logistics
• Corporate groups, team experiences and brand content days

What makes it different is the team running it. These are not tour operators. They are active professional big wave surfers who surf Praia do Norte at the highest level and know every channel, current and break point in the water.

Galileo X-Plorer and Media Productions at Nazaré

The Galileo X-Plorer production is one of several major media collaborations hosted at Nazaré by Freddy Olander and the Big Wave Experience team. RTL, SAT.1, ntv, GEO Magazine and international surf media have all worked with Freddy to capture the reality of big wave surfing at Praia do Norte.

For production teams, brands and content creators planning to film in Nazaré, the Big Wave Experience can facilitate everything from water access and safety cover to full production support and logistics at the harbour.

The moment everything is built around: a rider on the wave, the driver already moving into the recovery line.

“Making someone’s dream happen on a day like that is not about luck. It is about preparation, the right conditions and a team that knows exactly what it is doing.”