Surfing: Guinness recognises wave as biggest ever

[Deano]

The Guinness World Records has recognised a 44-year-old Hawaii pro surfer for catching a 78-foot wave off the coast of Portugal, saying the November feat beats a 2008 record for the biggest ridden by more than 1 foot.
Big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara of Haleiwa, on Oahu's North Shore, said the ride of his life was a fluke.

He said he originally didn't want to attempt the waves that day after wiping out numerous times on even bigger swells in the same spot, above an undersea canyon known as one of the biggest wave-generators on the planet.

Judges for the awards, considered the official arbiters of big-wave surfing, pored over footage and high-resolution still images from several angles to calculate a more accurate estimate, event director Bill Sharp said.

They used McNamara's height in a crouch and the length of his shin bone to help compare it to the wave's top and bottom, Sharp said.
Full story here http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10805318

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