German surfer Sebastian Steudtner has received a Guinness World Record for the biggest wave surfed 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 enormous wave measured 26.21 metres off the coast of Praia do Norte, Nazaré, Portugal.
« It feels amazing, » Steudtner told Guinness World Records Tuesday, May 24 « It has been a crazy journey to get here and the record is much more than just a number. »
A video of Steudtner’s world record attempt that has gone viral truly puts into perspective the scale of things out at sea.
Watch the viral video:
When he was just 13, Steudtner decided he wanted to move to Hawaii to pursue a dream career in the surfer’s paradise. However, not only did it take him three years to break away and relocate to the other side of the globe, it was a decision many in his family didn’t support or even understand.
Now, at 37, after dozens of awards, the surfer has his first Guinness World Record.
Steudtner took on the world record previously set by Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa in 2017 at the same location. Praia do Norte beach has optimal characteristics for surfing giant waves due to the geological phenomenon known as the « Nazaré Canyon »: a 170 km long and 5 km deep fault in the sea bed that propels the swell from the Atlantic Ocean towards the coast.
Watch the following videos to understand why the waves are so big at Nazare
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