Big wave season is open and professional surfers took advantage of gigantic waves as high as multistory buildings off the coast of Portugal on Thursday.

Hurricane Epsilon created a massive North Atlantic swell which made for some of the biggest waves recorded in the coastal Portuguese town of Nazare, a world-famous big wave spot.

Hundreds of mask-wearing spectators gathered to watch surfers attempt to tame the waters in a location that generates record-breaking waves due to constructive interference generated by a deep underwater canyon that reaches 4.9 kilometers (3 miles) deep.

The World Surf League (WSL) is scheduled to hold their Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge at the site beginning Nov. 2 with many of the world's top big wave surfers in attendance.