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Surfer Garrett McNamara catches what could be the largest wave ever surfed, off the coast of Nazare, Portugal, on Jan. 29. The estimated 100-foot wave, if confirmed, would beat the current world record of 78 feet, which McNamara has held since 2011. According to SurferToday.com:
Garrett McNamara traveled from Hawaii and hit the water with Kealii Mamala - with whom he surfed waves generated by glacier blocks in Alaska - Kamaki Worthington and Hugo Vau, as their support team on the jet ski. The conditions in Nazaré were heavenly perfect. Light southern winds and strong swell coming from northwest and hitting the local canyon as it should.
Judges with Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards will work to determine the actual size of the wave.
VIDEO: McNamara rides massive wave in Portugal
McNamara's surfing skills developed when his family moved to Hawaii from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, when he was 11 years old. As a professional big wave surfer, he regularly seeks out the largest waves in the world.
"It's like riding a moving mountain," said McNamara to TODAY after he broke the last world record in 2011. Watch the video.
See more photos of McNamara surfing the historic waves off the coast of Portugal.
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Did you just call this a Cthulhu wave? ;-)
Huge wave.
Surfs up...
This guy will probably never occupy a bed in an nursing home. Sooner or later the ocean will get him.
But hey, he's doing what he wants with his life, and we all go eventually.
What an incredible wave.
Cowabunga. That was the kind of wave all wetheads dream of. But would I have the guts to mount it? Not these days. I need to be in a younger time when my bones would heal faster!
COWABUNGA....SURF'S UP!!!!
I don't surf, and while it might seem like insanity to ride a wave like this, I can totally understand the rush.
Congrats on the new world record.
"All I need are some cool waves and some tasty buds" -Jeff Spicoli
This is surreal---but how wonderful to have that kind of grit! Thrillseeker of the highest order....
Only white people would even think of doing this ....
No man, Pacific Islanders started riding waves first. The answer with them is "Eddie would go".
Damm, he's got balls of plutonium!
I'd like to try body surfing that mountain of water but gotta ask the wifey first...........................she said go ahead but get a much larger life insurance policy first.
Terrifying and exciting at the same time. What a rush! Must have taken two days to get all the adrenalin to die down...
What people can accomplish is truly amazing. Scary as hell but amazing.
Holy F%$K Balls!!! This guy has church bells for nuts!!!
Too Kool....
That looks like the old side of Nazare beach. Spent lots of time there as a teenager. There's a mountain that seperates old Nazare from New Nazare. The old beach was shut down because it was too dangerous for people to swim in. I saw some incredible waves there back in the 80's, not this big but still very big waves 30 maybe 40 foot waves were common after a storm surge.
The only experience I had at the time was from beaches on the eastern US coast, and I'll tell you Nazare taught me very quickly to respect the power of real waves and mother nature. I body surfed 10 - 15 foot waves all the time at New Nazare beach. To this day I haven't had an experience as thrilling or scary as getting caught in a 15 foot wave that pushes you to the bottom and rolls you like a rag doll, not to mention the 5lbs of sand you wind up with in your shorts.. lol.
If you didn't respect that power, you paid for it dearly. Every year I was there people died on that beach. I can't even imagine what old Nazare was like. I used to go to the old beach just to watch the waves. The easiest way to describe it is that the old beach always seemed so angry.
Great pic. Great memories.
DUDE!!!!
Only one thing describes this : OH @!$%# I'm gonna DIE !
This wave does not look like it is 100 feet tall. A wave is measured from crest to the bottom, straight up and down, not due to its angular height. If the crouched position of the surfer is about 4 feet, then I would say this wave, from the terrible picture, is less than 80 feet, still remarkably high, but not close to one hundred feet tall! To be fair, I have ridden some powerful 7 foot waves that looked like they were thirty feet high, due to the slope. We can only hope there are more pictures that clarify where the flat surface of the ocean is in relation to the crest.
i used his known height w an architectural ruler. assuming his crouch is ~35% of his height. the wave is >93 ft. i also assumed that the base i see is the lowest one of this wave. it is possible it is not.
Just judging by the size of the board and surfer against the wave, that one is killer monstrosity regardless of actual measurement.
WOW. never surfed and could not imagine what that ride must be like... where does one practice riding down the face of a 10 story building and surviving?
Daaaamn!!! That's one big freaking wave.
I'd rate that at about a 12 on the 1-10 scale of pucker factor.
Eddie would go!
Looks like Bodhi in Point Break.
id have no problem riding awave that large, even tho i dont surf anylonger, think the biggest wave i ever rodewas at steamboat in santacruz int eh mid 60's a huge wave at 10 ft lol all id have ot do to ride that wave? is to think there is a shark at least that big chasing me,, id be gone, wouldnt be a very pretty ride, but you would hear me screaming the whole way in, oh sh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! andmy depends would be ruined
No thanks, I'll stick with the safer 2 ft. Waikiki tourist waves and live longer................