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

The year 2013, which has come not so long ago, has become unusually fruitful for achievements in the field of surfing.

And, if 45-year-old Garret McNamara set a recent record with his fearlessness and desperation, riding a giant wave in the Portuguese Niaz, then this victory was deserved by the patience and endurance of the hero of our story.

An experienced sea wolf, 48-year-old Steve King, has become the new world record holder, having recently conquered the longest wave in the history of surfing in Indonesia on the Kampar River, Sumatra.

The last world record for the length of the conquered wave, was set, again, by Steve, in 2006 year. He made up 7,6 miles (slightly more 12 km), on the River Severn in the UK.

This time, Steve hit our minds with a wave 12.8 miles, which is about 20,65 km! Record time - 64 minutes, and, unlike the achievement set in the UK 7 years ago, Steve was accompanied on this run by the invigorating looks of hungry Sumatran crocodiles. Despite this juicy factor, King entertained himself as best he could during the more than an hour ride, and even rode on his head, which, given the attentive audience, consisting mainly of hefty green river reptiles, deserves a standing ovation.

The tidal waves of the Campar River, locally called "Bono", occur quite often at peak tide in Meranti Bay, and were first discovered for surfing by French and Brazilian amateurs. bor - surf(surfing of anomalously high tidal waves arising in the mouths of rivers and narrow bays moving up the branches). Since then, many boron surfers have attempted to defy the elements and ride in the unique river barrels, nicknamed the "Seven Spirits" by the locals. The wave sometimes reaches a height of 4-6 meters and moves at a speed of up to 40 km/h.

The record was recorded using waterproof cameras attached to Steve King's shoulder, helmet and surfboard. GPS devices were also used to confirm the distance covered and the time covered.

Accompanying Steve King on this historic event were fellow surfers Steve Holmes (UK), Nathan Maurice (UK), Fabrice Colas (France), Dominique Avrilier (France) and Christopher Caravino (Hawaii) .

Remarkably, both the first and second records of this year were set by mature surfers, well over 40 years of age, who demonstrated that they were all right with gunpowder in their flasks, and this once again proves that surfing is a sport of all ages, and, Basically, it's never too late to start. And it’s nice to realize that, perhaps, at the age of 60, you will recruit your colleague and, instead of inviting you to the domino yard championship, you will say something like: “buddy, but the swell is pumping, can’t we cheer up with a couple of lefts tomorrow with morning at Old Man's?

text: Katerina Ganina

sources: www.mirror.co.uk, www.indonesia.travel

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 several hours, dodging icebergs in order to catch waves as high as a multi-story skyscraper with his friend Kealia Mamala. This feat was rightly named "Trick of the Year" by surfers.

Garrett is known as a fan of the heaviest waves in history. He knows how to avoid wipeouts in places like Teahupoo and laughs like crazy after a session. Once, journalists managed to film how a giant centipede crawled out of his mouth. Straight Bear Grylls from the world of surfing. 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 a low pressure area off the coast of Portugal could bring truly gigantic waves there. On the spot he was met by Andrew Cotton and Alistair Manny, a British and Irishman who gained wide popularity after riding the big waves in 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 the Jaws, but it was definitely one of the biggest beachbreaks.

When Manny was drifting in the line-up, a wave, or perhaps a couple of waves, joined into one big one, began to move. At the same moment, Garret 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. She was like a huge wave 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!"

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

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 awarded McNamara the record, all of which cited 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, judge, or member of the Guinness Book of Records,” he emailed me. “I just gave my opinion.”

Much of the mainstream media, including SURFER, The Surfer's Journal and Surfline, chose to ignore the report of the record wave. Sefer, XXL competition judge and journalist Taylor Paul, wrote on his blog: “We ignored this news because Garrett or someone in his group launched this 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 the school and helps me in 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 her, he only knew that the wave was big. Nicole, however, suggested that he send the footage to a former XXL judge (who said the wave could be 25-27 meters high), as well as an oceanographer and a handful of surfers, including Kelly Slater and Greg Knoll. They all told Garret that it was a big wave.

"The Kinetics Sports Movement Institute decided to analyze the video using the latest technology," said Garrett. - "They considered each frame separately and got somewhere around 28-31 meters."

“The wave that Garrett caught is really a great achievement,” says Greg Knoll during a telephone conversation. “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 Garrett's wildlife and energy," adds Ken "Skindog" Collins, two-time XXL winner. “He is a beast, a caveman. But Mac is lying. Some of my acquaintances told me that he owes 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 has brought a lot of attention to big wave surfing." Similar opinions have been shared with us by other big wave enthusiasts such as Greg Long, Mark Healey, and Grant "Twiggy" Baker. But there has been disagreement that media attention is necessarily something positive.

Another reason for the other surfers' record being lukewarm, of course, is that Garrett's feat has yet to pass the test of the Billabong XXL jury, which over the past decade has become the de facto authority on big wave judging. It is they 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 the layman," Mark Healy said. “We are talking about a sport where the organizers of the World Cup prematurely crowned an 11-time champion.”

The XXL Awards is the brainchild of former Surfing editor Bill Sharpe, who is committed to some downplaying and subjectivity. The awards are now given according to more abstract categories: Best Trumpet, Best Performance... Every 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. Over the years, the commission has included Sean Collins, Jeff Devine, Steve Hawke, Sam George, Chris Mauro, Evan Slater, Larry Moore and Philip Hoffman. The records, which were set at Jaws, Mavericks and Cortes Bank, were sent by the judges to the Guinness Book of Records representatives, who unquestioningly made the decisions of the XXL members. In 2008, XXL experts unanimously decided that Pete Cabrinh's four-year-old record (21 meters) in the Jaws was eclipsed by Mike Parsons (23 meters) in the Cortes Bank.

Last year, the Biggest Wave winner was Benjamin Sanchez. He rode in France (Belharra) without a tow and matched Shane Dorian's record ride in Jaws. The jury was all aware 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 basis for the jury's decision? By how many centimeters is one wave larger than the other? What about shooting from different angles? Can 3D technology save the day? The answers to all these and many other questions are yet to be found. Some experts suggest depriving judges from XXL 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. Perhaps he managed to break the world record. But only time and the XXL jury can confirm this fact.

The world of surfing is so interesting and exciting that many people cannot live without this sport, which makes up their whole life. Such a person can be safely called Garrett McNamara, who is ready to spend day and night on the crests of his girlfriends - huge waves.

And here again the world of the Internet is teeming with news about how this man broke a new record in the field of surfing - he easily conquered a 30-meter wave and this happened, most surprisingly, completely by accident.

What exactly helped the guy overcome such a huge water barrier, how it happened and what McNamara is going to do next, the experts of the World News and Sports News sections of the Market Leader investor magazine found out.

Details of McNamara's new record

A Hawaiian professional surfer named Garret McNamara decided to surprise the world with his mastery of the waves, and huge waves that exceed a 9-story building. His last record was simply indescribable and caused a storm of emotions when viewed - the guy "saddled" a 30-meter wave and he did it perfectly.

It is not yet specified whether the surfer is going to apply for registration of a record in the Guinness Book of Records, but if this does happen, then McNamara will beat his own record, which he set earlier, namely in May 2012 in the same Portuguese village Nazare, then its height was 24 meters.

A stunning video of the American's accidental record can be viewed on YouTube, where you can clearly see how it happened in reality.

Other surf records

Surfing can be called a sport in which the number of records is simply colossal. Here is a small list of the best records, according to the Guinness Book of Records:

• Kelly Slater is the person who has achieved the most records in this sport.
• The largest number of surfboards stacked on the roof of the car was 282 pieces and the guy managed to drive a little more than 30 meters this way.
• The largest number of people simultaneously riding on one board - in 2005, a record was set in which 47 surfers immediately swept on one enlarged board of 12 meters.
• Most Consecutive Days of Surfing - Dale Webster began surfing on September 2, 1975 and has probably never had a rest - at least three waves a day. It happens.
• The owner of the largest collection of surfboards - Donald Dettloff has 647 different boards in his arsenal. Impressive.
• The longest slide on a wave in open water - 66.47 km was overcome by Gary Saavedr in 2011.
• The biggest wave ever ridden by a man was previously Mike Parsons (23.4 meters), but he was overtaken in 2012 by McNamara, breaking a wave of 24 meters, and now 30.
• The longest run on a river wave surfboard - Steve King in 2006 slipped over 12 km.
• The longest surf marathon lasted exactly 29 hours and one minute in 2011.
• The first surfer to hit two perfect 10-point passes was Kelly Slater in 2005.
• The highest speed developed by a surfboard in tow of a car - in 2011, Lane Beechley controlled a surfboard at a speed of 78.26 km / h.

After reading this, it is impossible to remain indifferent and just turn the page - you involuntarily admire people who are capable of such risky activities for life, but at the same time who give them this real life, full of adventures, emotions, ups and downs.

The famous Hawaiian extreme and surfer Garret McNamara, without expecting it, became the world record holder in surfing, conquering a 27-meter wave (about 90 feet) the other day. The world record was recorded by shooting on video. A wave with a 10-story house McNamara "took" off the coast of the Portuguese port city of Nazare Canyon.

According to the commission of the Guinness Book of Records, the wave conquered by the surfer is the highest "saddled" by extreme people for the entire time of registration of observations.

The previous record belongs to American Mike Parsons, who in 2008 conquered a 77-foot wave.

“Everything was perfect – great weather and waves, Garrett and I were boarding together, and then I saw that he caught the biggest wave he had ever seen in his life. Most people would be scared, but Garrett was in control even in the most dangerous section of the ridge, he was just great. After the wave passed, the sea seemed to calm down. We sat on the shore and could not recover for a long time after what had happened, ”quotes the partner of the newly-made record holder Ella Mini.

It is worth noting that the coastal zone near the Portuguese port of Nazare Canyon has long been a favorite place for real adventurers, especially surfers. Due to the special topography of the mountain bottom and strong winds, the waves of the Atlantic in this region are especially high.

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

Surfing, in which a person challenges a formidable and unpredictable element, 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 swept over it for more than a kilometer!

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

This event was called the highest act of humanism.

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

Big waves

Riding on - the pinnacle of extreme surfing.

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

Gigantic waves moving fast are deadly dangerous, they require special skills from extreme people, a person fights them at the limit of his abilities.

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

Giant waves of Oahu

Makaha

Name of waves Makaha which is on the west coast of the island Oahu, translated from Hawaiian as "mad, wild".

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

In 1953 they conquered 9 meter wave in Makaha bay.

The news of this was a sensation for Californian surfers.

In 1969 American Greg Knoll rolled down the highest wall in Makaha Bay.

Sunset Beach

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

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

A dangerous lava reef and six wave peaks have always attracted extreme conquerors.

In 1939 the waves of Sunset Beach were first "saddled" 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 a storm.

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

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

For the first time, Greg Knoll managed to ride the waves of Waimea.

In 1957 Knoll, watching the powerful swell from the shore, said the historic: "Don't care, I'm floating out" and entered the water.

His friends followed. The waves of Waimea Bay were high at 7.5–9 meters, they scared even the Hawaiians.

Greg rode a giant 9m board.

In 1989 Titus Kinimaka broke his femur in half during a hard wipe out.

Californian Donnie Solomon in 1999 prevented diving tightly attached to the legs of the board.

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

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

Being the first rescuer of the region, he bravely threw himself into terrible waves and did not allow the death of people. Appreciate the creepiness of the waves in

Eddie is known as conqueror of the huge Hawaiian wave.

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

The ship was saved daredevil searched 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 Waimea Bay Championship is named after Aikau.

Greg Knoll's next record is a win in 1964 over the Banzai Pipeline ("Banzai pipes").

In winter, there are 10m waves.

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

This is a danger, the life of the rider here hangs in the balance.

Pipeline is the site of the deaths of several professional surfers and photographers.

Mike Shtang and Greg Knoll two hours sailed to the line-up, the same waited for the wave.

Greg later said that while sliding he felt like he was locked in a pipe, compared it to flying into the void in a spaceship.

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

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

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

Water monsters rush 3 km from the coast at a speed of 30 km/h. To get to the line-up, you need row 45 minutes among the rocks.

Risk lovers were not stopped by stones, icy water and sharks found here.

The first Maverick alone conquered 17-year-old local guy Jeff Clark.

It happened in 1975 The waves reached up to 7 meters. Growing up on Oahu Singapore native Mark Foo in the early 1980s, addicted to huge waves, was the best in Waimea Bay.

In 1994 he flew to California. Takeoff on a 6-meter wave Maverick led to fall of an athlete from the board.

Death Foo- a talented 36-year-old enthusiast, a favorite of photographers - shocked the surfer community.

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

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

Ken Bradshaw

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

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

Partner Bradshaw recalled that the dark wave looked like the roof of a giant house moving towards the coast. Close by, it thundered and foamed violently. The three-story vertical drop was like a roller coaster.

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

It was a world record of those years. His footage included sensational "Extreme".

Californian Hamilton implemented tow-in surfing on giant waves.

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

laird repeatedly risked his life.

So it was in the late 1990s, when he and his team tamed giant waves Peahi on the northern coast of the Hawaiian island of Maui.

The Hawaiians noted the ability of the local wave to turn into a terrible monster with a change in weather and nicknamed it Jaws("jaws").

crests height up to 23 meters and higher are formed on a reef, moving at a huge 50-kilometer speed, hit hard on a 300-meter rock, form foam avalanches.

In 2000, Hamilton targeted the Teahupoo spot in the south of Tahiti.

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

Breaking on a semi-circular sheer reef, the ridge under the local name Chopu rises quickly, sharply, has a thick linden.

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

From the year 2000 5 surfers died here, among them - the famous Tahitian professional Bris Terea, fell off the crest straight onto the reef.

Laird Hamilton named Teahup "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 the waves in 2014 in Malibu lifted by Hurricane Marie.

2000 records

Cortes Bank- An island in the North Pacific Ocean that is under water.

In the early 1990s, over the jar were fixed waves up to 27 meters.

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

Mike Parsons used a tug and rolled down from 20 meters.

The achievement was recorded as a Guinness record, the victor received the Billabong XXL award of $66,000.

In 2004, Pete Cabrinh rode a 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 entry in the Guinness Book of Records.

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

In winter they come powerful swells from the Atlantic.

A deep underwater canyon, pointing 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 formed very quickly, which can exceed 33 meters.

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

• In 2002, McNamara and a partner won a $70,000 prize at the World Cup in Tow Surfing on the beach Jaws V Maui.
• Next year here is a brave rider drove through a pipe with a diameter of 6.1 meters and was surprised to get out.
• In 2007, the hero went to conquer the waves near the glaciers of Alaska, about this filmed a documentary.
• In 2011, in Nazar, thanks to a tug, Garrett climbed a wave 23.77 meters high. The record was recorded in the Guinness Book.
• In 2013, McNamara topped his own record by sliding into Nazaré. from a 30m wave. On video filming, the wave looks awesome - the size of a house.

October of that year was record breaking date 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 at the exit. Burle conquered giant waves on 6 continents of the planet.

On the heels of the record holders comes Briton Andrew Cotton, who showed in 2014 in Nazar result 24.3 meters.

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

It teaches you to set high goals, to live with full dedication. Laird Hamilton said that it is not death that should be feared, but a wasted life.