eXtreme surfing
Chippa Wilson shines bright in high-octane video clip.
The most extreme surf spots in the world
Big wave surfing: eXtreme is a soft word for that
Laird Hamilton, Eddie Aikau, Jeff Clark, Mark Foo, Ross Clarke-Jones, Mike Parsons, Grant Baker, Greg Long, João de Macedo, Shane Dorian, Ken Bradshaw and Maya Gabeira all share the same sentiment. They would go.
In big wave surfing, time and timing are two different things. There's a time to paddle hard and go for it; and then there's the stand-up timing.
Surfing in the most extreme spots and weather conditions can be uncomfortable for those without the relevant experience and knowledge. A little courage never hurt, either. The risk of leaving family and friends forever should not be taken without every possible consideration for safety being made.
SurferToday.com has carefully picked the ultimate extreme surf spot list. If you really aim to surf big and have what it takes, you simply have to try the diversity of these different wave peaks. Ride them all one by one. Some offer wind and swell adversity; others require slab experience. All are really, really big.
Banzai Pipeline is a surf classic. This Hawaiian reef break can turn into a deadly cavern very easily. In the last ten years Joshua Nakata, Joaquin Velilla, Malik Joyeux, Jon Mozo and Moto Watanabe have sadly lost their lives here.
Belharra is an outer reef break located off the town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, in France. This gigantic wave has a massive lip that could scare you off surfing forever. In Jaws, Maui, waves can easily reach 35 meters (120 ft). Sometimes, the only way to surf this wave is by pressing the tow-in button. If you fail, reef and rocks will eat you.
Mullaghmore Head and Prowlers are the biggest waves Ireland has to offer. With a rainy and windy climate painting a dark picture, these waves are absolutely fearful. Never ride them - or any other big wave - alone. Nazaré, in Portugal, is so powerful that some call it the "surfboard breaking machine," see Rodrigo Koxa, below riding the big one. The undersea canyon here creates giant waves that can only be surfed by experienced big wave surfers.
Pico Alto, in Peru, is considered the largest wave in South America. This big wave surf spot challenges everything: your fear, your safety and your life. Needless to say it is one of the stages on the Big Wave World Tour. Punta de Lobos is the goofy footer's big wave heaven in Chile. Expect fast drops and giant lips.
Shipsterns Bluff, in Tasmania, is such a powerful wave that getting barreled may not be a wise option. It is one of the most dangerous waves in the world and there's not a hospital nearby. Teahupoo has already taken many lives. It's an exceptionally fast, shallow, tubular and heavy wave. This reef break delivered what is considered the "heaviest wave" ever ridden. Laird Hamilton was the one onboard.
The Wedge, in USA, is almost known as a shore break. If you go over the falls at this spot, an injury is certain. Local surfers have ended up paralyzed. Todos Santos, in Mexico, gets monstrous pretty often, too. This big wave surfer's heaven has plenty of adrenaline for sale. The 'Killers' wave there is ferocious.
Yakutat, in Alaska, is the ultimate cold surfing experience. Temperatures can drop to below minus 20ºC, which means waves just about freeze solid. Helmets are required.
Discover the 10 commandments of the big wave surfer.
Chippa Wilson shines bright in high-octane video clip
Everybody is talking about it. Watch Chippa Wilson's high-octane grand masterpiece. It's been hailed as the surf video of the year.
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Rodrigo Koxa, rides the BIG one
See What It's Like to Ride the Tallest Wave Ever Surfed.
On the same day Rodrigo Koxa surfed a record-breaking wave, another surfer had a close call with death... Surf’s up for Rodrigo Koxa … way up.
On November 8, 2017, the 38-year-old Brazilian surfer caught an 80-foot-tall wave in Praia do Norte off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal. On April 28, the World Surf League gave him the Quiksilver XXL Biggest Wave Award padded with a $25,000 prize. Koxa’s ride also broke a Guinness World Record for the biggest wave ever surfed.
“I'm just so happy and this is the best day of my life,” Koxa said at the awards. “It’s a dream come true.”
Other winners include surfers Lucas Chianca, Paige Alms, Aaron Gold, and Ian Walsh. British surfer Andrew Cotton, who broke his back after a fall on the same day and in the same place as Koxa’s record-breaking feat, was awarded the Wipeout of the Year Award.
Previously, the record was set by Hawaii’s Garrett McNamara in 2011 with a 78-foot-tall wave off the same coast. Other surfers have said they broke that 2011 record, but Koxa’s wave was confirmed—experts can measure a wave from trough to crest by comparing it with the size of the people surfing it. (Related: “What Surfing Teaches You About Life”)
Surf’s Up
In the video, a jet ski drags Koxa up the wave. In less extreme waters, surfers usually paddle up waves before standing up and riding them, but since Koxa’s 80-foot-tall roller is too fast, towing in on a jet ski allows him to get closer. The jet ski releases him and in seconds, the powerful waters surge up to him. Koxa barely manages to evade the wave as it rushes like an avalanche behind him.
Koxa is an experienced surfer and escaped unscathed—this time. In 2014, he had a brush with death at the same beach. The experience sent him into a four-month slump where he had nightmares, didn’t travel, and got scared easily.
It’s no coincidence that Koxa and Cotton both rode enormous waves at the same beach on the same day. The beach’s location and geography make it prime territory and a magnet for intrepid surfers. Although one surfer got away from the wave with a broken record, the other barely got away with a broken back.
Wicked Waves
The waves of Praia do Norte are famous for being among the largest in the world. The beach’s westerly location on the European coast allows it to catch wind, and thus ocean swells, from storms that sweep across the North Atlantic. A deep canyon runs under the surf and points toward the town, which focuses the ocean swells directly toward the lighthouse at the edge of Nazaré. Nazaré Canyon, the underwater abyss, is 130 miles long and as deep as 16,000 feet below the ocean’s surface in some areas. (Related: “Why It’s Important to Save Our Seas’ Pristine Places”)
“The ocean swells get focused in this submarine canyon and have much more energy,” surfer and forecaster Micah Sklut told NPR in 2013. “So, first you’ve got really deep water, and then as it approaches the shore it gets very shallow, and that enables the waves to climb really, really big all of a sudden.”
Nazaré’s undersea geography make it particularly unique, but it’s not the only place to catch a big wave. Other popular surfing spots with towering waves are Teahupo’o in Tahiti, Oahu’s Banzai Pipeline, the Cortes Bank near Los Angeles, and Northern California’s Mavericks.
Watch Surfer Ride Record-Breaking Wave
This wall of water has broken the world record as the largest wave ever to be surfed. Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa surfed the 80-foot wave in Nazaré, Portugal. The feat took place in November 2017 but the wave and surfer are just now being honored by the World Surf League's Big Wave Awards.
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