World record for surfing. Best surfing records Guinness book

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

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 big wave.

“The Kinetics Sports Movement Institute decided to analyze the video using the latest technology,” 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 vetted by the Billabong XXL jury, which over the past decade has become the de facto 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. “We are talking 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. Over the years, the panel has 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 was 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.

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?

What 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 surfed every day, taking at least three waves from the line-up to the shore per 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 Hawaiian island Maui. To assemble this modest collection, he invested money in it for 15 years. Dettloff used his boards to construct a fence. Crazy 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 March 21, 2011, Layne Beachley violated 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 while driving a surfboard at a speed of 78.26 km/h.

The world of surfing is so interesting and exciting that many people cannot live without this sport, which forms their whole life. One can safely call such a person Garrett McNamara, who is ready to spend day and night on the crests of his friends - huge waves.

And once again, the Internet world is teeming with news about how this man broke a new surfing record - he easily conquered a 30-meter wave and, most surprisingly, it happened 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, experts from the “World News” and “Sports News” sections of the investor magazine “Stock Leader” found out.

Details of McNamara's new record

A Hawaiian professional surfer named Garrett McNamara decided to surprise the world with his skill in “controlling” waves, and huge waves that exceed a 9-story building. His last record was simply indescribable and caused a storm of emotions when watching - the guy “ridden” a 30-meter wave and he did it perfectly.

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

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

Other surfing 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.
• Largest quantity There were 282 surfboards laid on the roof of the car and the guy managed to drive a little more than 30 meters.
• The largest number of people simultaneously riding on one board - a record was set in 2005, in which 47 surfers rode on one enlarged board of 12 meters.
• Most Consecutive Days of Surfing - Dale Webster started surfing on September 2, 1975 and may still not have had a rest - he caught at least three waves a day. And this happens.
• The owner of the largest collection of surfboards, Donald Dettloff, has 647 different boards in his arsenal. Impressive.
• The longest ride on a wave in open water was 66.47 km by Gary Saavedra in 2011.
• The biggest wave a person has ever ridden was previously Mike Parsons (23.4 meters), but McNamara overtook him in 2012, riding a wave of 24 meters, and now 30.
• The longest ride on a surfboard on a river wave - Steve King in 2006 slid more than 12 km.
• The longest surf marathon lasted in 2011 for exactly 29 hours and one minute.
• The first surfer to make two perfect 10-point passes was Kelly Slater in 2005.
• The highest speed achieved by a surfboard while being towed by a car - in 2011, Lane Beachley drove 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 not-so-long-ago year 2013 was an unusually fruitful year for achievements in the field of surfing.

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

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

The previous world record for the longest wave conquered was set, again, by Steve, in 2006 year. He made up 7,6 miles (a little more 12 km), on the River Severn in Great Britain.

This time Steve hit our minds with a wave as much as 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 gaze of hungry Sumatran crocodiles. Despite this piquant factor, King entertained himself as best he could during the more than hour-long ride, even taking a ride on his head, which, given the attentive audience of mostly burly green river bastards, deserved a standing ovation.

Tidal waves of the Kampar River, locally known as "Bono", occur quite frequently at peak tide in Meranti Bay, and were first discovered by French and Brazilian surfers boron - surfing(surfing of abnormally high tidal waves arising at the mouths of rivers and narrow bays moving up the branches). Since then, many Boron surfers have attempted to brave the elements and surf the unique river barrels, nicknamed by the local population “Seven Spirits”. The wave sometimes reaches a height of 4-6 meters and moves at speeds 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 time covered.

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

What is noteworthy is that both the first and second records of this year were set by mature surfers, aged well over 40, who demonstrated that they have everything in order with gunpowder in their flasks, and this once again proves that surfing is a sport for all ages, and, in general, it's never too late to start. And it’s nice to know that, perhaps, when you’re 60 years old, you’ll call your colleague and, instead of inviting him to the court domino championship, you’ll say something like: “buddy, the swell is pumping, shouldn’t we cheer ourselves up with a couple of lefts tomorrow with morning at Old Man's?

text: Katerina Ganina

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