A surfer from Brazil, Rodrigo Koxa, has bagged the world record for riding the tallest wave ever. Koxa achieved his feat at Nazare beach in Portugal.
His record was confirmed by the World Surf League at an awards ceremony in California recently. The official height of the wave? Eighty feet. No, really.
The surfer rode the wave in November and spoke of it fondly, calling it a gift from god. The World Surf League’s statement read, “The award goes to the surfer who, by any means available, catches the biggest wave of the year...Not only did Koxa win this year’s honour, but he now holds the Guinness World Record for the biggest wave surfed.”
Koxa’s reaction? “I got this wave, and it was the best moment of my life,” he said.
The daredevil broke the previous record of 78 feet that was set by American surfer Garrett McNamara back way in 2011. He went through a period of self-doubt, telling the World Surf League that it took a lot for him to bounce back from a mishap. “I had a bad situation in 2014, I almost died over there (at Nazaré),” he said. “I had bad dreams and I stopped having the courage. For more than one year after that, I was afraid. I stopped going in the big swells.”
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