January 29, 2013 UPDATE: The surfer Garrett McNamara caught what is believed to be the highest wave ever surfed, possibly at more than 100 feet (30½ m), off the coast of Nazaré, Portgual. In 2011, he set the previous record for the largest wave surfed, also in Nazaré, at 78 feet (23¾ m).
Image by To Mane/European Pressphoto Agency
No video, not even this one, could do justice to the adrenaline rush that must come from being towed by a jet-ski into a colossally heavy 78-foot wave that looks like it could snap a surfer like a twig at any second.
This week, as if he needed it, pro-surfer Garrett McNamara got official confirmation that his superhuman feat was indeed, well, superhuman. By about a foot. The studious experts at the Guinness World Records have reviewed the video of McNamara’s wild ride on a wave he caught in November at Nazaré, Portugal last year and have officially declared it the largest wave ever ridden — beating “a record set by Mike Parsons at Cortes Bank in southern California, in 2008″ who was towed in to a measly 77 footer.
Unofficially, McNamara, has already been basking in the glory. Last December, in a profile penned by Chris Jones for ESPN the Magazine, McNamara seemed almost hypnotized by his experience:
“I didn’t realize how big it was at first,” McNamara says, speaking from his home in Hawaii mostly in the present tense, as though he’s never left the face of that wave. “I hardly ever look back, but this time I look back, two or three times as the wave starts to grow. It’s like this endless mountain. Every second is so crucial just then.”
Here’s another video of the largest wave ever ridden:
Below: My original post on this story last November.
Garrett McNamara made history by breaking the current record of the biggest wave ever surfed. The wave came during the two month period of the ZON North Canyon Show 2011, with a height of around 90 feet (27 meters).
McNamara was tow-surfing just offshore of small fishing village of Nazare, Portugal. An undersea canyon 5000 meters deep (3.1 miles deep) runs very close to the shore, and the unique bathymetry is known to create unusually large waves when west-northwest swells affect the coast. On Tuesday, November 8, an approaching cold front extending southwards from a low pressure system centered just south of Iceland generated strong winds off the coast of Portugal, and a west-northwest swell of 8 meters (26'). The canyon generated three big waves in excess of 60 feet that day, and McNamara was able to catch the tallest, 90-foot wave.
The previous record highest wave surfed was a 77-foot (23 meter) wave caught in 2008 at Cortes Bank off the coast of Southern California by Mike Parsons.
He was towing with Andrew Cotton, from the UK, and Al Mennie, from Ireland, when the bomb came in. Al was in the channel and describes the moment. “Everything seemed to be perfect, the weather, the waves. Both Cotty and I rode two big ones in the 60ft + range and then when Garrett got on the rope a wave, maybe 30 feet bigger came out of the canyon, it was meant to be. I had the best seat in the house as I was doing water safety on the ski as he dropped down the face of the biggest wave I’ve ever seen. It was incredible. Most people would look scared but Garrett looked in control as he went down the most critical part of the wave. It was an inspirational ride by an inspirational surfer. After the ride it was as if the sea calmed down. We sat out there and just absorbed both what had just happened and the surroundings. What a day!”
The three were surfing in Praia do Norte off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal. McNamara has been spending quite some time here once he discovered the magic of the spot. The coast of Nazaré is home to one of the only deep water canyons that runs all the way to shore. He has been working with the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute to understand how the waves reach such an abnormal height.
According to the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute, “the proximity of the Nazaré Canyon to Praia do Norte creates a situation that greatly increases the swells intensity. The conditions of the swell and wind direction observed on this day exemplify this phenomenon”. “By 9:00 AM, the monitor on the buoys registered a swell with around 8 m near Nazaré. With a WNW swell direction with favorable wind, it is reasonable to conclude that this wave had a significant swelling effect, which is characteristic of this place.”
“I feel so blessed and honored to have been invited to explore this canyon and its special town. The waves here are such a mystery”, said Garrett.
Garrett McNamara is back in Portugal to embark on another mission exploring the waves of Nazaré, in the ZON North Canyon Show 2011. This is the second mission of a three years project, initiated last year. This is a Nazaré City Hall project, sponsored by ZON, to internationally promote the region as a destination for surfing, show casing the unique aspects of the Nazaré Canyon.
The Nazaré Canyon is an unusual geographical phenomenon, the biggest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It is a gap in the continental plate, 170 kilometers (105 miles) long and 5 kilometers deep (3 miles). Located at Praia do Norte, the Nazaré Canyon receives swells from the Atlantic Ocean and creates waves of abnormal size, compared to the rest of the Portuguese coast.
The three were surfing in Praia do Norte off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal. McNamara has been spending quite some time here once he discovered the magic of the spot. The coast of Nazaré is home to one of the only deep water canyons that runs all the way to shore. He has been working with the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute to understand how the waves reach such an abnormal height.
According to the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute, “the proximity of the Nazaré Canyon to Praia do Norte creates a situation that greatly increases the swells intensity. The conditions of the swell and wind direction observed on this day exemplify this phenomenon”. “By 9:00 AM, the monitor on the buoys registered a swell with around 8 m near Nazaré. With a WNW swell direction with favorable wind, it is reasonable to conclude that this wave had a significant swelling effect, which is characteristic of this place.”
“I feel so blessed and honored to have been invited to explore this canyon and its special town. The waves here are such a mystery”, said Garrett.
ZON North Canyon Show 2011
Garrett McNamara is back in Portugal to embark on another mission exploring the waves of Nazaré, in the ZON North Canyon Show 2011. This is the second mission of a three years project, initiated last year. This is a Nazaré City Hall project, sponsored by ZON, to internationally promote the region as a destination for surfing, show casing the unique aspects of the Nazaré Canyon.
The Nazaré Canyon is an unusual geographical phenomenon, the biggest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It is a gap in the continental plate, 170 kilometers (105 miles) long and 5 kilometers deep (3 miles). Located at Praia do Norte, the Nazaré Canyon receives swells from the Atlantic Ocean and creates waves of abnormal size, compared to the rest of the Portuguese coast.
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