Biggest Wave Ever Surfed

The Brazilian Navy’s alert for rough seas in Rio de Janeiro gave the green light for the sixth edition of Itacoatiara Big Wave surf event, attracting national and international surfers to compete in the powerful waves over 13 feet of Itacoatiara beach

The one-day main event had 16 tow-in surfing teams made up of two competitors in each team, alternating between surfing and driving the team’s jet ski. Before the main event final, the competition also had a round of tow-in mixed men and women teams and bodyboarders.

Surfers used to Portugal’s Nazaré massive waves, like Pedro Scooby, Lucas Chumbo, and others, didn’t snub the smaller but violent waves in Itacoatiara.

“First time in Itacoatiara is challenging. To line up the right one (wave), you really got to find the diamond in the rough, for sure. It’s a really hard. It seems a bit like Nazaré (Portugal) and Puerto Escondido (Mexico) mixed together,” said Italian surfer Francisco Porcella.

Niterói is a city located west of Rio de Janeiro that is home to several iconic wave-riding spots, one of them being Itacoatiara Beach known for its powerful beach break waves.

AP Video by Lucas Dumphreys