Brazil’s Law No. 15,461 has formally designated Jaguaruna, on the southern coast of Santa Catarina, as the National Capital of Brazil’s Biggest Wave. The recognition rests on Lucas Chumbo’s July 2025 ride at Laje da Jagua, measured at 14.82 metres from surf-session images and video — surpassing the previous documented Brazilian mark of 13.7 metres.¹

For Big Wave Brasil and the municipality, the result turns local reputation into a marketable credential. Thiago Jacaré, a surfer and co-founder of the organisation, said the break had long been thought capable of waves above 10 metres, but lacked documentation: “Last year, we finally had this important proof.”² The group is now awaiting suitable conditions for the Mormaii Big Wave Challenge, a proposed paddle-in competition that organisers describe as Brazil’s first world-level event of its kind.

City officials see the title as a foundation for broader development rather than a one-day spectacle. Tourism secretary Dante Gentil said big-wave surfing is a global market and that the designation provides “more basis and credibility” for products connected to Laje da Jagua.³ Plans under consideration include boat trips to the offshore rock formation, a 3D land-based experience and a life-size giant-wave monument, alongside the regional Big Surf Route. The city has also allocated R$300,000 to the competition, though Gentil acknowledges that lodging, food services and attractions need strengthening outside the summer season.¹

Oceanographer Mauro Michelena Andrade of the University of Vale do Itajaí offers a qualified endorsement. He says the abrupt rise of the seabed — from roughly 30 to 40 metres deep to about two metres at the rock — can convert incoming swell energy into height. But without permanent instruments, the 14.82-metre figure is only the largest documented wave surfed there. “Larger waves may have occurred” when no surfers or cameras were present, he said.¹

That distinction leaves Jaguaruna with both a powerful tourism claim and an unresolved scientific question: its celebrated record is verified, but the break’s true upper limit remains unmeasured.

[1] Where is the beach with the biggest wave in Brazil? — Report on the federal designation, the 14.82-metre measurement, Jaguaruna’s tourism plans and expert qualifications about monitoring.

[2] Where is the beach with the biggest wave in Brazil? — Thiago Jacaré says the break was believed to produce waves above 10 metres before the record was documented.

[3] Where is the beach with the biggest wave in Brazil? — Dante Gentil on the title’s value for developing tourism products around Laje da Jagua.