LOS ANGELES, California, USA (Tuesday, May 24, 2022) - Sebastian Steudtner (GER) has set a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the largest wave surfed (unlimited) - male. As part of the Red Bull Big Wave Awards, the World Surf League (WSL) has officially analyzed, measured, and verified Sebastian Steudtner's 2021 Big Wave Award-winning ride at 86 feet, to take the new standing for the unlimited category for the men's largest wave surfed.
The 37-year-old from Nuremberg, Germany, successfully surfed a wave measuring 86 feet (26.21 meters) from trough to crest at the infamous big-wave break known as Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal on October 29, 2020. The ride won the Biggest Tow Award at the 2021 Red Bull Big Wave Awards making it eligible for World Record verification. Steudtner's wave was analyzed, measured, and confirmed as the new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the largest wave surfed (unlimited) - male.
Steudtner, who moved to Hawaii aged 16 to pursue a career in professional surfing, has made a name for himself in the big-wave surfing world with numerous competition wins and awards. Steudtner's big wave training partner is Brazil's Maya Gabeira, who is the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title holder for the largest wave surfed (unlimited) - female. Steudtner is also co-founder and president of the Nazaré Surf Rescue Association (NSRA), actively involved in improving the safety standards in big wave surfing.
"Congratulations to Sebastian for this incredible achievement," said Jessi Miley-Dyer. "Sebastian exemplifies the courage and commitment of big wave athletes around the world and we are so proud to celebrate him as the new men's Guinness World Records title holder for the largest wave surfed."
The achievement was announced at a special ceremony upon the grounds of the famous lighthouse that stands watch over the waves of Praia do Norte. An official Adjudicator of GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ presented Steudtner with a certificate declaring him as the current record holder for the largest wave surfed (unlimited) - male. Steudtner's record beat Rodrigo Koxa's previous record by 6 feet, which was caught on November 8, 2017, at the same location of Praia do Norte, Nazaré.
Several frames from the video footage were extracted and corrected geometrically based on the camera position and inclination. Using known objects such as the jet ski and actual measurement of Steudtner's body geometry, it was possible to calibrate the images for conversion from pixels to feet. The location of the trough and crest of the wave was determined from analysis of the video from two different angles.
The accuracy of the wave height analysis is dependent on a number of factors, including the quality of footage, weather conditions, and angles and distance of the photographers from the wave. Still frames from the video footage are geometrically corrected based on the camera angles, and, using known objects such as the jetski and Steudtner, the images are converted from pixels to feet. The location of the trough and crest of the wave are determined based on analysis of the video from multiple angles.
Today, the WSL also revealed the nominees for the 2022 Red Bull Big Wave Awards. The winners will be announced on July 7, 2022. The winning rides of the 2022 Red Bull Big Wave Awards will be eligible for World Record verification if the judging panel determines the wave(s) challenge the current World Records. World Record verifications will be announced on November 1, 2022.