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Surfer sets new world record after riding 90ft wave

An extreme surfer is set to earn a place in the record books after riding a 90 foot wave.

Garrett McNamara caught the monster wave during the ZON North Canyon Project in Praia do Norte, Nazaré, Portugal.

The coastline is home to a deep water canyon which funnels large swells from the Atlantic Ocean, creating record-breaking waves such as the one McNamara rode.

McNamara told Surfer Today: ‘I feel so blessed and honoured to have been invited to explore this canyon and its special town. The waves here are such a mystery.’

According to the 44-year-old’s website, McNamara has been on a mission to catch the ‘biggest, best waves on the planet’ for the past ten years.

The 44-year-old had been surfing with fellow sportsmen Andrew Cotton and Al Mennie when he finally seized his chance earlier this month.

Mennie said: ‘Everything was perfect, the weather, the waves. Cotty and I surfed two big waves of about 60 feet and then, when Garrett was ready came a canyon wave of over 90 feet.

‘The jet ski was the best place to see him riding the biggest wave I’ve ever seen. It was amazing.

‘Most people would be scared but Garrett was controlling everything in the critical part of the wave. It was an inspiring ride by an inspiring surfer.’

According to Surfer Today, the biggest wave ever recorded by scientists measured 520 metres in height and occurred in Lituya Bay, a fjord located on the coast of Alaska.

The giant wave killed two fishermen as it slammed down into the bay on July 9 1958.

The Guinness World Book of Records had officially registered Mike Parsons as holding the title for the highest wave surfed at 77ft feat in Cortez Bank, 2001.

The previous unofficial record for the biggest wave ever surfed was held by Ken Bradshaw who rode an 85-footer in Hawaii’s Waimea Bay in 1998. 

In 2007, Daredevil McNamara became one of the first people ever to ride a wave caused by a glacier.

The feat took place at the foot of the 400ft Child’s Glacier, in south-central Alaska.

Joined by surfer Kealii Mamala, McNamara spent nearly three weeks camping at the foot of the glacier, waiting for the perfect wave.

After the spine-tingling deed was complete, McNamara said: ‘After the first day I just wanted to make it home alive.

‘Not knowing where the glacier was going to fall, where the wave would emerge, or how big it would be.

‘I spent most the time thinking about my family and wondering if I would survive to see them again. It was in a realm all of its own.’

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