Biggest Wave EVER Surfed - 100 Foot Wave

All I can say is WOW! 

That is a monster wave. I have the movie Riding Giants, which shows the history of big wave surfing. It shows Waimea, Mavericks, Jaws, and a few others but nothing that was as big as that one.  They should give the dude pulling him on the wave runner an honorable mention record just for being crazy enough to be out there with him.  Where was that wave?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beachcomber 

This dude just made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for riding this wave...  It's being reported as a 100ft road wave.

 

Sick! 

They're called "rogue waves" though 

Huge.  Maybe biggest ever ridden.

...but I'm skeptical about 100ft.

Look at him when he makes his turn near the bottom of the wave.  He's a little hunched over --- maybe (*maybe*) standing 5ft tall at that point.  For the wave to be 100ft, you'd need to multiply that height by about 20.  When I look at it, I count about 13-14 before you get to the top of the wave.

It's always hard to tell where the bottom of the wave is --- especially from a higher vantage point with a telephoto lens.

Huge?  Yes.

Biggest ever surfed? Maybe.

100ft?  No.

(My qualifications? Hey, I may live in Oklahoma now, but I grew up surfing in CA.  I've done my time watching videos, looking at the mags, and spending time in the water.  ...now I'm just an out-of-shape old dude who longboards on CA trips --- I know, just the sort of guy you don't want in the water, right!?  :) )

Wave height is measured form the other side

I have been swimming in 15 foot waves.  They are scary enough.  This is unbelievable.

Here is a pretty good read if you find this kind of thing interesting.  I don't have any real interest in surfing but the stories about them and the scientists are pretty cool.

The Wave by Susan Casey

http://www.amazon.com/The-Wave-Pursuit-Rogues-Freaks/dp/0385666675

Quote:

Originally Posted by boogielicious 

I have been swimming in 15 foot waves.  They are scary enough.  This is unbelievable.

My first trip to Hawaii I made the mistake of getting in with 10 to 12 footers and I was getting seriously nervous about getting back to shore. I couldn't even imagine seeing a wave like that rather than trying to surf it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kieran123 

Wave height is measured form the other side

I think the consensus view in the surfing community is to measure the face of the wave, from trough to crest.  "Hawaiian" wave measurement is from the back of the wave, and will be significantly lower.  Supposedly it produces more consistent measurements, but I think it's just because the North Shore bruddahs like to think they're better than everyone else.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradsul 

Here is a pretty good read if you find this kind of thing interesting.  I don't have any real interest in surfing but the stories about them and the scientists are pretty cool.

 

The Wave by Susan Casey

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Wave-Pursuit-Rogues-Freaks/dp/0385666675

This book is amazing, and Laird Hamilton is a badass.

I truly hate Laird Hamilton.     Really hate him.     Why?    

This is his job, i.e. what he does all day while the rest of us are working:

This is the view from his house, just down the road from Jaws in Maui:

This is his wife:

Add on this that he is damn handsome and makes huge $$$ at his "job", and I really really hate the guy.   

I grew up swimming in shore breaking waves, so I got pretty good at it.

In 2010, we went to Maui on vacation.  We went to a local's beach on the south side they called Big Beach.  There were 8 to 10 footers that day and they were crystal clear but shore breakers and not surf waves.  I brought my son and his friend out and taught them where to stand and how to swim in them safely.  And more importantly, how to time getting out.  The guards were being very selective about who they would let go out because you could really get munched if you were in the wrong spot.  They told a lot of people they could not go in.

The cool thing was the locals were boogie boarding the waves and not getting killed.  They would ride in the curl and at the last second dive back into the face.  Very impressive.