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A newly released study claims it dethroned the biggest-recorded wave ridden by Sebastian Steudtner at Nazaré in 2020. With new methodology, they say a wave ridden by Brazilian Vini dos Santos in 2022 – also at Nazaré – was 11 feet higher.
The study, which was presented at the International Workshop on Waves, Storm Surges & Coastal Hazards in Spain, measured dos Santos’ wave at 97.4 feet (29.68 meters). Steudtner’s wave was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records at 86 feet (26.21 meters).
The research was led by Brazilian oceanographer Douglas Nemes, who says their method – which combines surveying tools, GPS data, and image analysis – was developed through 20 years of research and has been used to benchmark other big waves.
“This study represents a significant milestone within the scientific community, and for Vini dos Santos, who may have surfed one of the planet’s biggest waves,” Nemes said.
Dos Santos said he had a feeling that it could be a historic wave when he first saw the image.
Since the WSL recently handed the big wave record duties back over to Guinness, we’ll have to wait for a response from the record authority before we can celebrate this one.
