Biggest Wave Ever Surfed

The most epic big wave surf footage. Compilation of the heaviest waves in the world. Teahupoo in Tahiti, The Right and Shipsterns Bluff in Australia and Jaws in Hawaii.

Surfers:
Dan Ryan, Chris Shanahan, Shanan Worrall, Russel Bierke, Sandy Ryan, Marty Paradisis, James Hollmer-Cross, Rudi Schwartz, Brad Domke, Nathan Fletcher, Laurie Towner, Dylan Longbottom, Bruce Irons, Albee Layer, Tikanui Smith, Billy Kemper, Yuri Soledade, Richie Vass, Ryan Hipwood, Mark Mathews, Mick Corbett

Footage from:
Biggest Shipsterns EVER!
Biggest Teahupoo Ever, Shot on the PHANTOM CAMERA.
-Code Red- Full Movie – Surfing Goes Huge At Teahupoo Tahiti
Point Break – Tahitian Surf Featurette
RIGHTEOUS – The Right 16th Oct 2011
Yuri Soledade riding one of the biggest wave ever in Hawaii
Bezerke

Music:
Skyfall – Johannes Bornlöf 1,2 & 3

Teahupoo, Tahiti

Tahiti, French Polynesia Teahupo’o is widely considered the heaviest wave on the planet. Between the shallow reef and the pounding surf, the notorious break has claimed five lives since 2000.

Jaws, Maui

Pe’ahi, Maui, Hawaii Pe’ahi is roughly 3 miles off the coast of Maui. It has the ferocity of a Hawaiian wave, but with no predictability and enormous power. Tom Dosland’s 2012 wipeout there was heavy enough to become an XXL Wipeout of the Year nominee.

The Right, WA

Western Australia A mile off shore, the Right is a spooky spot with Great Whites lurking and nothing in sight. The Right is prominently featured in many of the incoming XXL Award submissions, including a photo series featuring Chris Shanahan.

Shipsterns, Tasmania

Shipstern Bluff, Tasmania, Australia Also known as “Devil’s Point,” Shipstern Bluff is a lethal right that’s difficult to navigate due to ledges that develop mid-face. When Mark Mathews miscalculated one of those ledges in 2011 he took a beating, but not all was lost… He won the XXL Wipeout of the Year Award.

Big wave surfing is the ultimate celebration of extreme surfing. Challenging deadly waves in harsh weather and ocean conditions requires a very serious approach.
Big wave surfers are not interested in performance. Forget perfect cutbacks, stunning floaters or breathless aerial antics. The profile of a big wave rider is the result of several unparalleled personal characteristics.

Fear is always present in a 50-foot wave. Fear is the best way of managing the risk of paddling for a huge wave face, which doesn’t tell you what is going to happen and how it is going to break.

Monster waves tend to move quickly and force surfers to stay out of the powerful whitewater. Big waves are lethal even for the most experienced extreme riders. The best big wave surf spots in the world have claimed several lives in the last decades.

Malik Joyeux, Sion Milosky, Moto Watanabe, Mark Foo, Donnie Solomon, Todd Chesser, Dickie Cross and Peter Davi have passed away in extreme surfing conditions. Wipeouts, severe coral reef injuries and drowning are the most common causes of death in big wave surfing.

The pioneers of big wave surfing started spotting impossible killer rides in the 1940s. In the 1960s, waves like Pipeline and Waimea increased the popularity of paddling into new wave heights. Going over the falls was on the daily menu.

Laird Hamilton is probably the first professional big wave surfer of all time. The waterman from Maui defies fast, hollow and high waves with a full-time training and previous preparation. Hamilton, the father of tow-in surfing, has already ridden all big wave spots in the Hawaiian Islands.

In 2000, Laird Hamilton surfed what has been considered the heaviest wave of all time. The “Millennium Wave” was ridden in Teahupoo, Tahiti, and set a new standard for big wave surfing.

Garrett McNamara is one of the toughest big wave challengers. After riding a spectacular 78-foot wave in Nazaré, Portugal, the Hawaiian waterman entered the Guinness World Records with the biggest wave ever surfed.

The list of the 55 best big wave surfers of all time is an exclusive extreme surfing club. From Jaws and Mavericks, to Puerto Escondido, Punta Lobos, Ghost Trees, Belharra, Shipstern Bluff, Nazaré and Todos Santos, these riders have set a new scale when it comes to define giant waves. They are:

Al Mennie, Andy Irons, Anthony Tashnick, Ben Wilkinson, Bob Pike, Brock Little, Buzzy Trent, Carlos Burle, Chris Bertish, Danilo Couto, Darrick Doerner, Darryl Virostko, Dave Kalama, Dave Wassel, Eddie Aikau, Frank Solomon, Gabriel Villaran, Garrett McNamara, Brad Gerlach, Gerry Lopez, Grant “Twiggy” Baker, Grant Washburn, Greg Long, Greg Noll, Ian Walsh, Jamie Sterling, Jay Moriarity, Jeff Clark, Jeff Rowley, Jose Angel, João de Macedo, Kai Barger, Keala Kennelly, Ken Bradshaw, Ken Colllins, Koby Abberton, Laird Hamilton, Laurie Towner, Mark Foo, Mark Healey, Mark Mathews, Mark Visser, Maya Gabeira, Mike Parsons, Nathan Fletcher, Pat Curren, Peter Mel, Ramon Navarro, Richie Fitzgerald, Ross Clarke-Jones, Shane Dorian, Sion Milosky, Zach Wormhoudt