Who rode the biggest wave ever?
Matthew Wilson
Updated on January 14, 2026
Back in October of 2020, German hellman Sebastian Steudtner clocked a ginormous monstrosity at Nazare and now–18 months later-he's officially nabbed the Guinness World Record title for the “Biggest Wave Ever Surfed”.
What is the biggest wave ever ridden?
The World Surf League and a team of scientists, along with Guinness World Records, revealed Tuesday that Steudtner's wave measured 86 feet tall, making it the largest ever surfed. The record eclipses Brazilian Rodrigo Koxa's previous mark, set in 2017 at Nazaré, a wave that measured 80 feet.Has anyone rode a 100 foot wave?
Garrett McNamara Rides World Record 100-Foot Wave in Portugal.Did Garrett ever surf a 100-foot wave?
In January 2013, McNamara broke his own world record by surfing an estimated 100-foot (30 m) wave. He also did this off the coast of Nazaré.How big do the waves get at Jaws?
The wave sizes at Jaws (which can exceed 60 feet (18 m) during the months of December to March) attract big wave surfers such as Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama using the tow-in surfing method of big wave surf riding they co-invented (with Darrick Doerner and Buzzy Kerbox).Largest wave surfed - Guinness World Records
Where is biggest wave in the world?
The record-breaking wave was surfed by the 37-year-old on 29 October 2020 at the Praia do Norte beach in Nazaré, Portugal. The wave was a humungous 26.2 metres - taking the previous record away from Brazilian Rodrigo Koxa, who surfed a 24.4-metre wave on 8 November 2017.Is Nazaré a real wave?
The size and unpredictability of the waves at Nazaré are caused by a submarine canyon that is 200km long and 5km deep. The difference in depth between the bottom of the canyon and the continental shelf splits waves into two.How deep is the canyon in Nazaré?
The Nazaré Canyon is an undersea canyon just off the coast of Nazaré (Portugal), in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean. It has a maximum depth of at least 5,000 metres (16,000 ft) and is about 230 kilometres long.Who first surfed Nazaré?
However, surf in Nazaré is already recorded since the 60s, when the surf began to gain fans in Portugal. The video one shows American surfers enjoying the small waves on the main beach, in 1968. Probably they were the first to surf this beach.Who is the best big wave surfer?
Laird Hamilton is probably the first professional big wave surfer of all time. The waterman from Maui defies fast, hollow and high waves with a full-time training and previous preparation. Hamilton, the father of tow-in surfing, has already ridden all big wave spots in the Hawaiian Islands.Who died surfing Mavericks?
On December 23, 1994, Foo died in a surfing accident at Mavericks, a big-wave surf location in Half Moon Bay, Northern California. Surfer magazine wrote that Foo was sleep-deprived after arriving in California on an overnight flight for the swell.Who is the best surfer in the world?
Robert Kelly Slater (born February 11, 1972) is an American professional surfer, best known for being crowned World Surf League champion a record 11 times. Slater is widely regarded as the greatest professional surfer of all time. Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S.How do surfers not get hurt?
Consider purchasing a board with flexible fins and a blunt nose or protective nose guard. Fit existing surfboards with nose guards to minimise injury risk. Wear a wetsuit for buoyancy, sun protection and to prevent seabed abrasions. Wear leg ropes, especially in large surf.Can you get crushed by a wave?
On October 28, 2013, Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira, 28, nearly died after wiping out an 80-foot-tall wave. Now, in her own words, she tells SELF how it felt to fight for her life—and how it feels to have a chance to ride again.Who surfed 100 foot waves?
100 Feet: The Never-Ending QuestOn October 29, 2020, Portuguese surfer António Laureano claimed to have ridden the biggest wave ever at the infamous European beach break. The first measurement made by the University of Lisbon's Faculty of Human Kinetics (FMHUL) led to a 101.4-foot (30.9 meters) wave.