Session“ The Hydrographic and the Sea of Nazareth” at the Hydrographic Institute

On February 27, 2018, the Hydrographic Institute (IH) held a session under the theme “The Hydrographic and the Sea of Nazareth”, linking scientific knowledge to surfing and local economy.

This initiative was supported by the City Council of Nazaré, as President, Dr. Walter Chicharro, and Surfer Hugo Vau, for the high merit he has had in surfing big waves in Nazareth.

This event, chaired by the Admiral Chief of Staff - Major of the Armada and National Maritime Authority, Admiral António Silva Ribeiro, began with an address given by the Director-General of the Hydrographic Institute, Rear Admiral Coelho Candido, who thanked all the participants and emphasized the importance of this event.

The first presentation alluding to the theme “The Hydrographic and the Sea of Nazareth”, on scientific activity in the sea of Nazareth, was the responsibility of Dr. João Vitorino - Oceanographer, and Dr. Aurora Bizarro - Marine Geologist, both from the Hydrographic Institute.

Communication followed “On the crest of the wave”, given by Surfer Hugo Vau, on his perspective of surfing big waves in Nazareth. Through images it was possible to perceive the smallness of a surfer on a giant and powerful wave in Nazareth. It was also clear the centrality of Nazareth in the world of giant wave surfing. Science is fundamental for surfers, the information of multiparametric buoys installed by the IH are fundamental to the decisions of surfers and reliable and timely predictions for the calls of giant wave surfers from around the world.

The intervention on the theme “The sea, surfing and the local economy”, made by the Mayor of Nazaré, Dr. Walter Chicharro, left a clear message of the high economic importance that the sea and surf currently have for the municipality. Surf broke seasonality and opened up a new range of investment perspectives for the next two decades.

At the end of the presentations, the Admiral Chief of Staff of the Navy and National Maritime Authority said a few words of thanks, highlighted the strong link of the Navy, the IH and the Chamber of Nazareth around the subject of science at sea.

The opening of the Cartoteca and the new exhibition hall followed, in which an exhibition related to the theme of the event is presented. This exhibition is open to the public until the end of April 2018. In the end, the Chief of Staff of the Navy and National Maritime Authority, Admiral António Silva Ribeiro, signed the Honor Book, where he left the following testimony:

“ It was with great honor and special pleasure that I visited the IH for the last time as CEMA/AMN, where I could see what I soon realized when I entered here as an officer in 1981. The enormous sense of public service and the extraordinary competence of its scientists and technicians, to whom the Navy and the country owe so much for the work they produce so that the Portuguese can use the sea to the right extent of their interests. ”