Who set the Guinness World Record for the largest wave ever surfed, measured at Nazaré in 2020?

Sebastian Steudtner set the Guinness World Record for the largest wave ever surfed, measured at Nazaré in 2020.

Steudtner rode the wave at Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal, on October 29, 2020. Guinness World Records later certified the wave at 26.21 metres, or 86 feet, using photographic and scientific analysis. The record was announced after the measurement and verification process rather than immediately on the day.

Nazaré’s enormous waves are amplified by the Nazaré Canyon, an underwater canyon that focuses and increases incoming swell near the shoreline. The site has become a major location for tow-in and big-wave surfing.

The record is often confused with Rodrigo Koxa’s previous men’s record or Maya Gabeira’s women’s record. Guinness treats those achievements as separate categories and periodically reassesses measurements.