Ponta Delgada, a long and perfect left big-wave point break on Madeira, has recently been destroyed by the construction of a new jetty which completely bisects the line-up. The construction of the jetty occurred so quickly that environmental organizations had no time to react. The jetty was apparently built to protect a newly constructed salt-water swimming pool, which was rebuilt from a previously surf-damaged pool at that location. The government gave no public warning about the project, and in typical fashion, suppressed news about it from the public in order to subdue opposition. The wave, a fickle spot that broke only a few times each year, was nonetheless a world-class point when conditions were right. In 1995 during an unusually large succession of west swells, the point did an accurate impression of Mundaka Bay, with 200-yard walls racing like freight trains down the point. The wave was also the site of numerous inter-island surf competitions, and was a huge asset to the North Coast’s beauty. The government, however, saw more value in a swimming pool for tourists, and carelessly destroyed a beautiful natural wave in the process.