Surfing biggest wave world record. A wave worthy of a world record. Other surfing records

The passion and dedication of surfers and the natural power of the ocean have transformed surfing into an extreme sport capable of testing the extreme limits of human performance.

The Guinness Book of Records has great amount interesting tricks and achievements that will take your breath away. Who has the most big amount victories at the world professional surfing championships? Surely you know the answer to this question. That's right, 11-time champion.

Some entries in the Guinness World Records may seem quite funny. Want to know the maximum number of surfboards you can load on one vehicle? There is such a record in the Guinness Book: a group of surfers from California successfully laid down a total of 282 boards to surf onto the roof of a car that traveled 30.4 m (100 ft) along the beach near Santa Barbara. Unbelievable but true.

What about the most large quantity people on the same surfboard? Guinness says that 47 surfers rode a surfboard 12 meters at the same time at Snapper Rocks in Queensland on March 5, 2005. As you might guess, this process was not easy, and the giant surfboard with all its passengers had to be rescued ashore with the help of a tow truck.


And from the US, he must still be feeling tired. He surfed every day from September 2, 1975, for 28 years, catching at least three waves a day. He holds the record for the longest surf session. This record will be difficult to break. Although a young surfer from California named Meg Ro has every chance: her record in three years of daily surfing, and the girl does not intend to stop there.

Did you know that Donald Detloff, from the USA, owns 647 different surfboards? He holds the record for the largest surfboard collections. These boards are stored at his property in Maui. The collection is the result of 15 years of collecting. By the way, Detloff used these boards to make a fence. Crazy.

Gary Saavedra, from Panama holds the record for the longest wave on the high seas. The national surfing champion surfed 43.1 miles (66.47 km) in the Panama Canal on March 19, 2011.

Garrett McNamara, a famous big wave surfer, holds the record for the most big wave. The stunt was performed in Praia do Norte, Nazaré, when the Hawaiian surfer rode a wave 30 meters high, breaking his own wave record of 23.7 meters.

The biggest board for surfing was made by Nev Hyman, from Australia, and was 12 meters long, 3 meters wide and 30 cm thick.

Is a happy person. A British surfer managed to enjoy the longest ride on a river tidal wave, riding 12.23 km along the River Severn in Gloucestershire, UK, on ​​March 30, 2006.


Curtis Loftus I must also be tired from my longest surf marathon. He surfboarded for 29 hours and one minute in Jacksonville Beach, Florida on October 26-27, 2011.

Curtis Loftus

And now a little surf quiz. Who was the first surfer to score the maximum 10 points for a run in a pro competition? The correct answer is Kelly Slater during the final of the Billabong Tahiti Pro in 2005 at Teahupoo. The Florida surfer then scored 20 out of a possible 20. Very impressive.

Last question: What is the "Fastest speed of a surfboard towed by a car"? Lane Beachley sailed at 78.26 km/h at the Sydney International Regatta on March 21, 2011.

Surfing is a sport of records and incredible achievements. The zeal and dedication that surfers demonstrate, coupled with the power of ocean waves and the forces of nature, has allowed surfing to gain status extreme sports, quite capable of testing a person’s strength. The Guinness Book of Records records a number of interesting stunts and achievements that will take your breath away, and some of them are also funny. Who has achieved the "Most wins in professional surfing world championships"? Here you can probably guess. That's right, this is Kelly Slater.

Who holds the lead in "The largest number of surfboards stacked on the roof of a car"? According to the famous collection of records, one group of surfers managed to stack 282 surfboards on the roof of a car and ride 30.4 meters near the Californian city of Santa Barbara. Incredible, isn't it?

And how about “The most people riding on one board?” According to the Guinness Book, on March 5, 2005, at Snapper Rocks off the coast of the Australian state of Queensland, 47 surfers simultaneously rode on one enlarged board 12 meters long. This was not easy to do, so a giant board with all the surfers was pulled through the water in tow.

But American Dale Webster probably still can’t rest. Starting on September 2, 1975, he rode every day, taking no less three waves from line-up to shore in a day to set a record "Most consecutive days of surfing". It won't be easy to beat him.

Did you know that American Donald Dettloff has 647 different surfboards? So here he is owner of the largest collection of surfboards and the record of the same name. The boards are kept at his estate in Haiku, located on the Hawaiian island of Maui. To assemble this modest collection, he invested money in it for 15 years. Dettloff used his boards to construct a fence. Mad man.

Kurtis Loftus was probably tired too. From October 26 to 27, 2011, off the coast of Jacksonville Beach in Florida, he spent "The longest surf marathon", which lasted 29 hours and 1 minute.

And now a short quick survey. Who was "First surfer to make two perfect 10-point passes" in one try? The correct answer is Kelly Slater, who achieved this in the 2005 Billabong Tahiti Pro final at Teehupoo. The American scored 20 out of 20 possible points. Impressive.

And a final question. What is “The highest speed developed by a surfboard while being towed by a car”? On 21 March 2011, Layne Beachley broke the speed limit in Sydney international center rowing (Sydney International Regatta Centre), located in the city of Penrith in the Australian state of New South Wales, driving a surfboard at a speed of 78.26 km/h.

Who and what of the riders is famous for, how victories were achieved over the grandiose waves, what force motivated the conquerors - this is our story.

Surfing, in which a person challenges the formidable and unpredictable elements, attracts and shapes unusual people.

In 1917 he conquered the legendary wave rising over the reef near the coast Kalehuawehe on a Hawaiian island Oahu, having ridden along it for more than a kilometer!

The handsome athlete worked as a lifeguard in California and in 1925 saved eight fishermen from an overturned ship, moving on a board.

This event was called the highest act of humanism.

The athlete's name is placed in the US Olympic Hall of Fame.

Big waves

Riding on – the pinnacle of extreme surfing.

An athlete slides down the wall of a wave at a speed reaching 80 km/h pursued by a huge body of water.

Fast-moving gigantic waves are deadly dangerous; they require special skill from extreme sports enthusiasts; a person fights them to the limit of his capabilities.

Recently dozens of brave men lost their lives, fighting huge swells.

Giant waves of Oahu

Makaha

Wave name Makaha, What's on west coast islands Oahu, translated from Hawaiian as “mad, wild.”

Hawaiians George Downing and friends 10 years of mastering skills handling high combs on 3-4 meter wooden boards.

In 1953 they conquered 9 meter wave in Makaha Bay.

The news of this became a sensation for Californian surfers.

In 1969 American Greg Noll slid down the highest wall in Makaha Bay.

Sunset Beach

On the north coast Oahu There are several surf spots nearby where giant waves come: Sunset Beach, Waimea, Banzai Pipeline, Log Cabins.

For a long time, the spot was considered the coolest in world surfing.

The dangerous lava reef and six wave peaks have always attracted extreme explorers.

In 1939 the waves of Sunset Beach were first ridden by Lorrin Harrison, John Kelly and Gen Smith using .

The coast has witnessed many terrible incidents.

In 1943 surfers Woody Brown and Dickie Cross caught a huge swell here and were unable to get ashore due to the storm.

Having decided to swim 3 miles towards the safer Waimea Bay, Brown, through incredible efforts, got out of the “mess”, and his 17-year-old comrade disappeared into the abyss.

A giant ridge sometimes forms on a sandy spot in Waimea Bay. up to 20 meters high.

Greg Noll managed to ride the waves of Waimea for the first time.

In 1957 Noll, observing a powerful swell from the shore, said the historical: “Whatever, I’m swimming out” and entered the water.

Friends followed him. Waimea Bay waves were high 7.5–9 meters, they scared even the Hawaiians.

Greg rode a giant 9-meter board.

In 1989 Titus Kinimaka broke his femur in half during a hard wipeout here.

Californian Donnie Solomon in 1999 I was prevented from diving by a board tightly attached to my feet.

A disastrous wave threw him onto the reefs, the surfer died.

Legendary Hawaiian surfer Eddie Aikau since 1968 worked as a lifeguard on the beach .

Being the first rescuer of the region, he bravely rushed into the terrible waves and prevented the death of people. Experience the eerieness of the waves in

Eddie is known as conqueror of the huge Hawaiian wave.

In 1978, during a sea voyage, a leak opened on the ship, and Eddie headed towards the island 19 kilometers for help on the board.

The ship was saved they searched for the daredevil for a long time, but to no avail.

The brave rescuer was 32 years old.

Phrase "Eddie would go" became winged, facing the passing surfers.

The championship at Waimea Bay is named after Aikau.

Greg Noll's next record is a win. in 1964 over the Banzai Pipeline (“Banzai pipes”).

In winter, they form here 10 meter waves.

They increase close to the shore, over a shallow coral reef.

This is dangerous; the life of the rider hangs in the balance here.

Pipeline is where several professional surfers and photographers died.

Mike Stang and Greg Noll took two hours to get to the line-up, we waited just as long for the wave.

Greg later said that while sliding he felt trapped in a pipe and compared it to flying into the void on a spaceship.

In the 1970s California was not recognized as a place for big waves, which cannot be said about.

But near the place Half Moon Bay the giant Maverick crests rage in winter up to 25 meters high.

This is caused by an unusually shaped underwater rock they encounter on their way.

Water monsters rush 3 km from the shore at speed 30 km/h. To get to the lineup, you need row for 45 minutes among the rocks.

Risk-seekers were not deterred by the rocks, icy water and sharks found here.

The first to conquer Maverick alone was a 17-year-old local boy, Jeff Clark.

This happened in 1975, the waves reached 7 meters. Raised on Oahu Singaporean Mark Foo in the early 1980s he became addicted to huge waves and was the best in Waimea Bay.

In 1994 he flew to California. Taking off on a 6-meter Maverick wave led to athlete falling from the board.

Death of Foo- a talented 36-year-old enthusiast and a favorite of photographers - has shocked the surfing community.

Wonderful guy, 35 year old Hawaiian Sion Milosky masterfully overcome large waves. Once Upon a Time in Rocky Point he saved the woman.

In February 2011 Miloski was named surfer of the year. In March, a rider headed to Maverick and was swallowed up by a California swell. Stories of courageous athletes have raised the popularity of extreme sports.

Ken Bradshaw

The American extreme sportsman, specializing in big waves, used jet skis to transport surfers towards the waves.

In 1998 the legendary athlete rode a 20-meter-high wave in Log Cabins.

Bradshaw's partner recalled that the dark wave resembled the roof of a giant house moving towards the shore. Nearby it thundered and foamed loudly. The three-story height difference was like a roller coaster.

This was followed by an assault on a 25-meter water skyscraper in Sunset Beach.

This was a world record for those years. His filming included the sensational "Extreme".

Californian Hamilton introduced tow-in surfing on giant waves.

tow surfing expanded the boundaries of athletes’ capabilities: the speed of transportation, the availability of waves of any height and distance from the shore increased.

Laird repeatedly risked his life.

This happened in the late 1990s, when he and his team tamed giant waves Peahi, which is on the north coast Hawaiian island Maui.

The Hawaiians noted the ability of the local wave to turn into a terrible monster with changes in weather and nicknamed it Jaws(“jaw”)

Combs up to 23 meters high and higher are formed on the reef, move at a huge 50-kilometer speed, hit hard a 300-meter rock, and form foam avalanches.

In 2000, Hamilton set his sights on the Teahupoo spot in the south of Tahiti.

The waves correspond to the name of the place, translated as “tear off your head.”

Breaking against a semicircular steep reef, the ridge locally called Chopu rises quickly, sharply, and has a thick linden.

The wave is characterized by incredible strength, mass and ferocity.

From the year 2000 5 surfers died here, among them is the famous Tahitian professional Brice Terea, fell from the ridge straight onto the reef.

Laird Hamilton named Teahupoo "wave of the millennium" and admitted that he conquered her thanks to his childhood dream - to become the greatest surfer on the planet.

On account of the 50-year-old surfer - conquering waves in Malibu in 2014 raised by Hurricane Marie.

Records of 2000

Cortez Bank- an island in the North Pacific Ocean that found itself underwater.

In the early 1990s, they were fixed above the can waves up to 27 meters.

In 2001, a team of surfers and tugboats set out to storm the giants.

Mike Parsons used the tug and fell from a 20-meter height.

The achievement was recorded as a Guinness record, the victor received the Billabong XXL award of $66 thousand.

In 2004, Pete Cabrinh took a ride on Jaws 21 meters high.

After 4 years, Mike Parsons set a new achievement - 23 meters- during a terrible storm in Cortes Bank and updated the Guinness Book entry.

This is the name of the legendary spot in the city of Nazaré on the west coast.

They come there in winter powerful swells from the Atlantic.

A deep underwater canyon, directed like an arrow towards the city, focuses the energy of the swells.

Due to the encounter with shallow water, a wave of unique height is very quickly formed, which can exceed 33 meters.

American giant wave conqueror Garrett McNamara born in 1967. His life goal was to search for large and complex waves.

  • In 2002, McNamara and his partner took a prize of $70 thousand at the World Cup Tow Surfing on the beach Jaws V Maui.
  • Next year here is a brave rider rode through a pipe with a diameter of 6.1 meters and was surprised that he got out.
  • In 2007, the hero went to conquer the waves near the glaciers of Alaska, about this documentary filmed.
  • In 2011, in Nazaré, thanks to a tugboat, Garrett climbed onto a wave 23.77 meters high. The record was recorded in the Guinness Book.
  • In 2013, McNamara surpassed his own achievement by sliding into Nazaré from a 30 meter wave. On video, the wave looks terrifying - the size of a house.

October of the same year was date of record achievement 45-year-old Brazilian Carlos Burle.

On Praia do Norte, the daredevil rolled down a 30.5-meter water mountain, but was hit by a wave on the way out. Burle has conquered giant waves on 6 continents of the planet.

Hot on the heels of the record holders is Briton Andrew Cotton, who showed in 2014 in Nazaré result 24.3 meters.

Record-breaking surfers push the boundaries of human capabilities and demonstrate great qualities: courage and willingness to take risks, dedication and inspiration.

Teaches you to set high goals and live with full dedication. Laird Hamilton said that One should not be afraid of death, but of a wasted life.

Garrett is a three-time XXL Series winner and is certainly no stranger to massive waves. In 2007, the same surfer drifted in a line-up in Alaska for hours, dodging icebergs to catch waves as tall as a multi-story skyscraper with his friend Kealia Mamala. This feat was rightly called “Trick of the Year” by surfers.

Garrett is known for enjoying some of the heaviest waves in history. He knows how to avoid wipeouts at places like Teahupoo and laughs like crazy after a session. One day, journalists managed to film how a giant centipede crawled out of his mouth. Straight from the Bear Grylls of the surfing world. He's a great candidate for a TV show like Fear Factor. According to Greg Long, he is "one of the most extreme surfers on the planet."

So in November, McNamara analyzed the weather report and decided that an area of ​​​​low pressure off the coast of Portugal could bring truly gigantic waves there. He was met on the spot by Andrew Cotton and Alistair Mennie, a British and Irishman who became widely known after surfing the big waves at Mullaghmore Head. The trio managed to take turns climbing the 9m peak near Praia in Nazaré do Norte (North Beach). The waves weren't as critical as, say, the Mavericks or Jaws, but it was definitely one of the biggest beachbreaks.

As Manny drifted into the lineup, a wave, or perhaps a couple of waves, combined into one big one, began to move. At the same moment, Garrett jumped up and swam towards her, caught a huge wave, and then moved down for 20 seconds, managing to maintain his balance.

News of the giant wave was leaked to the press via Kelly Slater's Tweet on November 3rd: “I just saw Garrett McNamara ride a huge wave in Portugal. He should post the video as soon as possible. It looked like huge waves in Jaws." On November 6, a newly registered user who introduced himself as "Mattice" created a post on the Surfermag forum: "Garrett McNamara broke the record by riding the biggest wave in history!"

No one ever found out who this Mattice was. Surfers were waiting for new messages, new questions arose in their heads, and part of the resource’s audience scattered praise and insults towards Garrett or each other. Two days later, Praia do Norte's public relations department issued a press release with the headline: "Garrett McNamara breaks world record by riding the biggest wave in surfing history at Nazaré!"

After that, something indescribable began. The world record was announced on Good Morning America, CNN, SI.com and The Daily Beast. Gizmodo blogger Andrew Tarantola wrote: “Apparently, Garrett McNamara was born without a sense of fear. He managed to catch a 27-meter wave. The previous record of 23 meters was set by Mike Parsons in 2008. Sorry, Mike."

The Huffington Post, NPR and a host of other publications gave McNamara the record, all citing the website SurferToday.com, which later turned out to have slightly altered the original press release. I had never heard of SurferToday, so I wrote a letter to the resource's editor, Luis Pinto. “Fortunately, I am not a journalist, a judge, or a member of the Guinness Book of World Records,” he emailed me. - “I just expressed my opinion.”

A significant part of thematic funds mass media, including SURFER, The Surfer's Journal and Surfline magazines, decided to ignore the report of the record wave. Sefer, XXL competition judge and journalist Taylor Paul stated in his blog: “We ignored this news because Garrett or someone in his group started the news on the sly. 27 meters. World record. And that didn't sit well with us because that kind of behavior violates the unwritten code of surfers."

Garrett spoke to me rather reluctantly, but to his credit, he answered my questions directly and without prevarication: “I didn’t have my own journalists or PR people. My only support was my love Nicole, who works as a teacher at school and helps me with everything. I didn’t make any money from this news.”

McNamara said he had no idea how big that wave was when he caught it. When the surfer saw it, he only knew that the wave was big. Nicole, however, suggested he send the footage to a former XXL judge (who said the wave height could be 25-27 meters), as well as an oceanographer and a handful of surfers, including Kelly Slater and Greg Noll. They all told Garrett it was a big wave.

“Specialists from the Kinetics Sports Movement Institute decided to analyze the video using latest technologies'" Garrett said. “They looked at each frame individually and got somewhere around 28-31 meters.”

“The wave Garrett caught was a really big accomplishment,” Greg Noll says during a phone call. “And you know, he doesn't always get the recognition that a surfer deserves for such feats. I love and respect this guy. He is very sincere and does what he likes. Sometimes this leads to incredible results."

"I appreciate wildlife and Garrett’s energy,” adds Ken “Skindog” Collins, two-time XXL winner. “He’s a beast, a caveman. But Mac is lying. Some of my friends told me that he owed the world an apology since the wave wasn't that big. I'm not going to discredit what Garrett did. But to his credit, Garrett brought a lot of attention to big wave surfing." Other big wave enthusiasts such as Greg Long, Mark Healy, and Grant "Twiggy" Baker shared similar opinions with us. But there was disagreement that media attention was necessarily something positive.

Another reason for the lukewarm reception of other surfers' record, of course, is that Garrett's feat has not yet been tested by the Billabong XXL jury, which over the past decade has become the de facto primary authority on big wave judging. They are the ones who report the “official” world records to the administration of the Guinness Book of Records.

"I'm afraid this could further compromise surfing in the eyes of ordinary people," said Mark Healy. - " It's about about a sport where the organizers of the World Cup prematurely crowned an 11-time champion.”

The XXL Awards are the brainchild of former Surfing magazine editor Bill Sharp, who is committed to some downplaying and subjectivity. Awards are now given out according to more abstract categories: Best Tube, Best Performance... Each year, 300 Academy members, surfers, journalists and photographers decide the winners. But in the most important category - The Biggest Wave - the decision is made by a commission of 8 - 10 people. These are surfers, meteorologists and journalists. IN different years The panel included Sean Collins, Jeff Devine, Steve Hawk, Sam George, Chris Mauro, Evan Slater, Larry Moore and Philip Hoffman. The records that were set at Jaws, Mavericks and Cortes Bank were sent by the judges to representatives of the Guinness Book of Records, who unquestioningly accepted the decisions of the XXL members. In 2008, XXL experts unanimously decided that Pete Cabrinh's four-year-old record (21 meters) at Jaws had been eclipsed by Mike Parsons (23 meters) at Cortes Bank.

Last year's winner in the Biggest Wave category was Benjamin Sanchez. He rode in France (Belharra) without a tow and matched Shane Dorian's record ride at Jaws. All members of the jury knew that their decision would change the lives of Sanchez and Dorian, and every effort was made to accurately measure the magnitude of the waves and reach a consensus.

However, such subjective decisions mean that the process of determining the record holder is fraught with danger. What is the jury's decision supported by? How many centimeters is one wave larger than the other? What about shooting from different angles? Can 3D filming technology save the day? The answers to all these and many other questions are still to be found. Some experts propose stripping XXL judges of all privileges and allowing surfers to determine the record holder themselves. As for Garrett's record. The wave may have been 27 meters high. He may have managed to break the world record. But only time and the XXL jury can confirm this fact.