[imagesource: Getty Images]

German surfer Sebastian Steudtner is the proud new holder of the Guinness World Record for the biggest wave ever surfed.

Big wave fans will recognise the above as the famed Portuguese surf spot Nazaré, which is where the 37-year-old made history on October 29, 2020.

Verifying and validating the size of the wave takes time, and is always a little controversial, but Steudtner has been credited with surfing an 86-foot (26,2-metre) wave. That beats the previous record set in 2017 by Brazilian Rodrigo Koxa, who rode a wave measuring 80 feet.

To understand the sheer scale you have to watch Steudtner in action:

Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, the German said he knew when he saw the wave brewing that something special could happen:

He nodded toward his jetski driver and held the tow rope tightly. “I knew it,” Steudtner, 37, remembers thinking. “Get me this wave now.”

…“I’ll never forget what I saw when I started to drop behind the peak and saw the entire wave,” he said. “I started to accelerate like crazy. I had tears from the wind speed and was just holding on with everything I had – not doing anything funny, just hanging on.”

“You don’t feel the size,” he said. “You feel the power. I felt the most power of any wave I’ve surfed at Nazare.”

The record was officially granted by the World Surf League working in conjunction with a team of scientists.

Techniques used to measure a wave’s height can involve a little guesswork related to finding a reliable measurement reference point in photo stills.

This also means that waves that are captured with poor video footage, or insufficient still shots, can be thrown out.

The experts must study the image closely, accounting for distortions that might misrepresent the wave’s size. Different angles and cameras lenses could muddle the process.

To account for how to correct the images, [Adam] Fincham travelled to Nazare and stood at the locations where photos and videos of Steudtner’s ride were captured, calculating the camera angles and the distance of the camera to the wave face.

He also interviewed the two photographers whose imagery was used to analyse the wave, learning more about the equipment they used and how they levelled their cameras.

Fincham is an associate professor of engineering who specialises in geophysical fluid dynamics. He led the analysis of Steudtner’s wave.

Deciding on a number is an inexact science. Rather, Fincham and his team “arrived at a number for which there was consensus”.

Get the ruler out:

 

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A post shared by Sebastian Steudtner (@sebastiansurfs)

In the past, Steudtner has ridden waves that onlookers have claimed were bigger than the mythical 100-foot size.

You may recall Mason Barnes’ wave from March of this year, too:

 

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A post shared by Mason Hyce Barnes (@masonhycebarnes)

The size of that wave has not been officially verified, and may not be for months or years. Many estimates put its size at well above 100 feet.

Speaking at the award ceremony where his record was made official, Steudtner was understandably stoked. Here’s The Inertia:

“It’s an amazing feeling to finally hold the world record in my hands. I’m really proud of this achievement and of my whole team’s performance. It was my dream since I was a kid to become a surfer and I’ve always stayed true to that dream. To stand here today and have achieved everything in my sport is epic. I hope my journey and this world record will inspire lots of others to chase their dreams as well.”

I doubt Steudtner’s record is going to last all that long. For now, though, he must enjoy the limelight.

[sources:smh&inertia]