Big wave surfing is a discipline within

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...

in which surfers paddle into, or are towed into, waves that are at least 20 feet (6.2 m) high, on surf boards known as "guns" or towboards. The size of the board needed to successfully surf these waves varies by the size of the wave, as well as the technique the surfer uses to reach it. A larger, longer board enables a rider to paddle fast enough to catch the wave and has the advantage of being more stable, but it also limits maneuverability and surfing speed. In 1992, big wave surfers such as Buzzy Kerbox,

Laird Hamilton Laird John Hamilton (né Zerfas; born March 2, 1964) is an American big wave surfing, big-wave surfer, co-inventor of tow-in surfing, and an occasional fashion and action-sports model and actor. He is married to Gabrielle Reece, a former professi ...

and Darrick Doerner introduced a cross-over variation called

tow-in surfing Tow-in surfing is a surfing technique which uses artificial assistance to allow the surfer to catch faster-moving waves than was traditionally possible when paddling by hand. Tow-in surfing was invented by surfers who wanted to catch big waves ...

. While many riders still participate in both activities, they remain very distinct. Tow-in surfing involves being towed in to big waves by jet ski, creating the speed needed to successfully ride them. Tow-in surfing also revolutionized board size, allowing surfers to trade in their unwieldy 12 ft. boards in favor of light, 7 ft boards that enabled more speed and easier maneuvrability in waves over 30 ft (10m). By the end of the 1990s, tow-in surfing meant that surfers could ride waves exceeding 50 ft (15m).

Hazards of big wave surfing

In a big wave wipeout, a breaking wave can push surfers down 20 to 50 feet (6.2 m to 15.5 m) below the surface. Once they stop spinning around, they have to quickly regain their equilibrium and figure out which way is up. Surfers may have less than 20 seconds to get to the surface before the next wave hits them. Additionally, the water pressure at a depth of 20 to 50 feet can be strong enough to rupture human eardrums. Strong currents and water action at those depths can also slam a surfer into a reef or the ocean floor, which can result in severe injuries or even death. One of the greatest dangers is the risk of being held underwater by two or more consecutive waves. Surviving a triple hold-down is extremely difficult, and surfers must be prepared to cope with these situations. A major issue argued between big-wave surfers is the necessity of the leash on the surfboard. In many instances, the leash can do more harm than good to a surfer, catching and holding them underwater and diminishing their opportunities to fight towards the surface. Other surfers, however, depend on the leash. Today, tow-in surfboards are equipped with foot holds (like those found on

windsurf Windsurfing is a wind-propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the Californian aerospace and surf culture. Windsurfing gain ...

s) instead of leashes, in order to provide some security to the surfer without generating safety hazards whilst the surfer is underwater. These hazards have killed several big-wave surfers. Some of the most notable are

Mark Foo Mark Sheldon Foo was a professional Surfing, surfer who favored big wave surfing. Foo drowned while surfing at Mavericks (location), Mavericks, Half Moon Bay, California, in 1994. Early life Mark Foo was born in Singapore on February 5, 1958, ...

, who died surfing Mavericks on 23 December 1994; Donnie Solomon, who died exactly a year later at Waimea Bay; Todd Chesser, who died at Alligator Rock on the North Shore of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

on 14 February 1997; Peter Davi, who died at Ghost Trees on 4 December 2007; Sion Milosky, who died surfing Mavericks on 16 March 2011; and Kirk Passmore, who died at Alligator Rock on 12 November 2013.

Paddle-in surfing

On 18 January 2010 Danilo Couto and Marcio Freire became the first to surf Jaws Peahi paddling, surfing the wave to the left side. They did not have jetski support and used only their shorts and their surfboards. They were the only ones to surf Jaws paddling until 4 January 2012, when it was surfed to the right side for the first time. On 4 January 2012, Greg Long, Ian Walsh, Kohl Christensen, Jeff Rowley, Dave Wassel, Shane Dorian, Mark Healey, Carlos Burle, Nate Fletcher, Garrett McNamara, Kai Barger, North Shore locals and other of the best big-wave surfers in the world invaded the Hawaiian Islands for a historic day of surfing. Surfers had to catch and survive the wave at Jaws Peahi, on the north shore of

Maui Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...

, without the use of a jet ski. Jeff Rowley made Australian history by being the first Australian to paddle into a 50-foot plus (15m) wave at Jaws Peahi, Hawaii, achieving his 'Charge for Charity' mission set for 2011, to raise money for Breast Cancer Australia. On 30–31 January 2012, Jeff Rowley and a number of international big wave surfers including Greg Long, Shaun Walsh and Albee Layer spent two days paddle-surfing Jaws, on the Hawaiian island of Maui, as part of their ongoing big-wave paddle-in program at the deep-water reef, further cementing the new frontier of paddle-in surfing at Jaws. On 12 March 2012, Jeff Rowley paddled into Mavericks Left, California, and became the first Australian to accomplish this task. Mavericks is traditionally known as a right-hander wave and Rowley pushed the boundaries of what was possible at the Mavericks left-hander, a task that wasn't without its challenges, requiring a vertical drop into the wave. On 30 March 2012, Jeff Rowley was a finalist in the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards 2011/2012, in the Ride of the Year category with his rides at Jaws Peahi in Maui, Hawaii on 30 January 2012, placing 4th place in the world of elite big wave surfers.

Big wave surfing world records

Male

German surfer Sebastian Steudtner broke the record in October 2020 off the coast of Praia do Norte, Nazaré, Portugal, when he surfed through an wave.

Female

According to

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

, Australian Laura Enever holds the women's big wave record, surfing a wave in Oahu in January 2023 to break the world record by 30cm. However, the record is not without controversy, as she wiped out at the base of the wave, and it has even been claimed that Justine Dupont rode a wave (although she, too, is said to have wiped out), although this claim has not been ratified by Guinness.

Big Wave Surfing Contest

The oldest and most prestigious big wave contest is

The Eddie The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational (colloquially, "The Eddie") is a big wave surfing tournament held at Waimea Bay on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The tournament is named for native Hawaiian, champion big wave surfer, and life-saving Wa ...

, named after Oahu north shore Hawai'ian lifeguard and surfer Eddie Aikau. The competition window is between 1 December and the last day of February annually. Another big wave surfing contest hosted by

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With a market share of 43%, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2020, and the third most valuable soft drink brand, behind Coca-Cola and ...

is held at Jaws Peahi, with invitation of 21 of the best big wave surfers in the world. The waiting period for the contest is from 7 December to 15 March. Some of the known invitees to the contest include Jeff Rowley, Albee Layer, Greg Long, Shane Dorian, Kai Lenny, Ian Walsh. From 1999 to 2016,

Mavericks Maverick or Maveric may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Bureau T-32 Ma ...

was a premier big wave contest. The first year's results were first place, Darryl Virostko ("Flea"); second place, Richard Schmidt (surfer); third place, Ross Clarke-Jones; and fourth place,

Peter Mel Peter Mel (born November 24, 1969, in Santa Cruz, California), is an American professional surfer. Mel began his surfing life in Capitola, California before moving on to Santa Cruz. He is known as a 'big wave' surfer and son of John Mel, a four ...

. This contest was last held in 2016, and has been indefinitely cancelled by the

World Surf League The World Surf League (WSL) is the governing body for professional surfing, surfers and is dedicated to showcasing the world's best talent in a variety of progressive formats. The WSL was originally known as International Professional Surfing ( ...

. Beginning in 2014–15, the World Surf League (WSL) has sanctioned the Big Wave World Tour (BWWT). On 28 February 2015,

Makua Rothman Makuakai (Makua) Rothman (born June 17, 1984) is an American big wave rider, professional surfer and musician. On February 28, 2015, he was crowned the 2015 Big Wave World Champion in the World Surf League's (WSL) first sanctioned Big Wave Worl ...

became the first WSL BWWT Champion with 20,833 points outscoring the runner-up, Gabriel Villaran of

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, by almost 7,000 points. On 11 November 2016, Paige Alms of Maui was crowned the first women's big wave surfing champion at Jaws on Maui during the Pe'ahi Women's Challenge which was part of the Women's Big Wave Tour #1 held 15 Oct – 11 November 2016, at

Haiku is a type of short form poetry that originated in Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases composed of 17 Mora (linguistics), morae (called ''On (Japanese prosody), on'' in Japanese) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern; that include a ''kire ...

, Hawaii. This was the first big wave surfing contest ever held for women. The results were in first place Paige Alms (Hawaii), second place Justine Dupont (

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

), third place Felicity Palmateer (Australia), and tied for fourth place

Keala Kennelly Keala Kennelly (born August 13, 1978) is a professional surfer, DJ, and actress from Kauai, Hawaii. After spending a decade ranked in the top 10 on thASP World Championship Tour (WCT) Kennelly took a break from the tour in 2007 to explore her ...

(Hawaii), Emily Erickson (Hawaii), and Laura Enever (Australia).

Big Wave Surfing Awards

Since 2005, the world's best big wave surfers gather in " Surf City"

Huntington Beach, California Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as of ...

, for the annual

(WSL) Big Wave Awards hosted by surfer Strider Wastlewski. The gala ceremony is currently held at the Pasea Hotel and Spa and nominated surfers are awarded for their greatest rides of the past year and the big wave community is celebrated. The event raises the bar every year, with $350,000 in prize money allotted across seven categories: *"XXL Biggest Wave" *"Biggest Paddle Wave" *"Tube of the Year" *"Best Overall Performance" *"Women's Performance" *"Wipeout Award" *"Ride of the Year". The seven winners are given top honors and a

TAG Heuer TAG Heuer S.A., founded Heuer AG ( ) is a Swiss luxury watchmaker. Founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer in St-Imier, Switzerland, it was acquired by Techniques d'Avant Garde (TAG) in 1985, which purchased a majority stake in the company, forming ' ...

watch for another WSL big wave season.

WSL Big Wave Championship Tour champions

Notable big wave surfing spots

Australia

* No Toes,

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

* Dangerous Banks,

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, Australia * Pedra Branca, Tasmania, Australia * Shipstern Bluff, Tasmania, Australia * Cow Bombie,

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, Australia *

Cyclops In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; , ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguished. In Hesiod's ''Th ...

, Western Australia, Australia *

Tombstones A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The us ...

, Western Australia, Australia *

The Right Right-wing politics is the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position b ...

, Western Australia, Australia

United States (Mainland)

Cortes Bank Cortes Bank is a shallow seamount (a barely submerged island) in the North Pacific Ocean off California. It is southwest of San Pedro in Los Angeles, west of Point Loma in San Diego, and southwest of San Clemente Island in Los Angeles County. ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States * Ghost Trees, California, United States * Mavericks, California, United States *

The Wedge A wedge is a triangular-shaped simple machine. Wedge, The Wedge, or Wedges may also refer to: Common meanings * Wedge (footwear), a type of shoe * Wedge (golf), a type of golf club Culture Fictional characters * Wedge (''Transformers''), an ...

, California, United States *

Nelscott Reef Nelscott Reef is an ocean reef near Lincoln City, Oregon, United States, that creates a reef break (a surf-break created by the presence of a rock or coral reef) that is known as the only place on the Oregon Coast with the right conditions for big ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, USA

Oceania

Cloudbreak Tavarua is an island resort in Fiji. It has an area of . It is close to the main Fijian island, Viti Levu, and is surrounded by a coral reef. It is also known to be shaped, somewhat, like a heart. Background The resort has surfing, sport fishin ...

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

* Teahupoo, Tahiti, France *

Papatowai Papatowai () is a small settlement in the Catlins ward of the Clutha District of the southeastern South Island of New Zealand. The settlement is situated half-way between the cities of Dunedin and Invercargill, on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coas ...

The Catlins The Catlins (sometimes referred to as The Catlins Coast) comprise an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha, New Zealand, Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between ...

, New Zealand * Jaws/Peahi,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, United States *

Pipeline A pipeline is a system of Pipe (fluid conveyance), pipes for long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas, typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countries ...

, Hawaii, United States * Sunset Beach, Hawaii, United States *

Waimea Bay Waimea Bay is located in Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oʻahu in the Hawaiian Islands at the mouth of the Waimea River. Waimea Valley extends east of Waimea Bay. means "reddish water" in Hawaiian. History On February 27, 1779, Captain ...

, Hawaii, United States

Europe

Cribbar The Cribbar ( Cornish - ''kribow'': reefs), also known as the Widow Maker, is a reef off the Towan Headland in Newquay, Cornwall, United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United King ...

Newquay Newquay ( ; ) is a town on the north coast in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is a civil parishes in England, civil parish, seaside resort, regional centre for aerospace industries with an airport and a spaceport, and a fishing port on t ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

* Aileens,

Cliffs of Moher The Cliffs of Moher (; ) are sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region in County Clare, Ireland. They run for about . At their southern end, they rise above the Atlantic Ocean at Hag's Head, and, to the north, the ...

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

* Mullaghmore, Ireland *

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

* Nazaré,

Punta Galea Punta Galea is a cape (geography), cape in Biscay, Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, that stands in the limit of Getxo and Sopelana. Together with Punta Lucero delimits the area of the Abra bay and the Estuary of Bilbao. Pu ...

between

Getxo Getxo () (Spanish: ''Guecho'') is a town located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, in Spain. It is part of Greater Bilbao, and has 75,430 inhabitants (2023). Getxo ...

and

Sopela Sopela, formerly known as Sopelana, is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain. The town is roughly 820 hectares in size, located in the comarca Mungialdea on the ...

, Basque Country,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

* Aizpurupe near

Zarautz Zarautz (, ) is a coastal town located in central Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, in Spain. It is bordered by Aia to the east and the south and Getaria, Gipuzkoa, Getaria to the west, located about west of San Sebastián, Donostia/San Sebastián. It ha ...

Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa ( , ; ; ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiqu ...

, Basque Country,

* Belharra, Basque Country,

Latin America

* Praia da Vila, Santa Catarina,

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Praia do Cardoso Praia (, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.Santa Catarina,

* El Buey,

Arica Arica ( ; ) is a commune and a port city with a population of 222,619 in the Arica Province of northern Chile's Arica y Parinacota Region. It is Chile's northernmost city, being located only south of the border with Peru. The city is the ca ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Punta de Lobos Punta de Lobos ( English: ''Sea-lions Point'') is a Chilean town, administratively part of the commune of Pichilemu, whose urban centre is north), in the Cardenal Caro Province, O'Higgins Region. The beach of Punta de Lobos, about 200 km so ...

Puerto Escondido Puerto Escondido (English language, English: "Hidden Port") is a Mexico, Mexican City, city-Port, port and tourist center in the municipalities of Mexico, municipality of San Pedro Mixtepec Distrito 22 in Oaxaca, the state of Oaxaca. Prior to the ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

* Todos Santos, Baja,

*Pico Alto,

Punta Hermosa Punta Hermosa is one of 43 districts of the Lima Province in Peru. The capital of the district is the village of Punta Hermosa. The district's main attractions are its beaches. Geography Punta Hermosa borders the Pacific Ocean on the west; the ...

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

Caribbean

* Tres Palmas,

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

Africa

Dungeons A dungeon is a room or Prison cell, cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably derives more from the Renaissance period. An o ...

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Notable big wave surfers

* Nathan Fletcher Hawaii * Chris Bertish South Africa * Lucas "Chumbo" Chianca Brazil *

Carlos Burle Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewhere ...

Brazil *

Koby Abberton Koby Abberton (born 2 June 1979), an Australian former professional surfer, is a member of the Australian surf gang the Bra Boys. He rose to local prominence in 2006, when he was found guilty of perverting the course of justice in an inciden ...

Australia * Eddie Aikau Hawaii * Grant "Twiggy" Baker South Africa *

Ken Bradshaw Ken Bradshaw (born October 4, 1952) is an American professional surfer and winner of the 1982 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship. Bradshaw was born in Houston, Texas. On January 28, 1998, Bradshaw successfully towed into and rode ...

Hawaii * Tom Carroll Australia * Jeff Clark USA * Ross Clarke-Jones Australia * Shane Dorian Hawaii *

John John Florence John "John John" Alexander Florence (born October 18, 1992) is an American professional surfing, surfer. He is considered one of the most dominant Banzai Pipeline, pipe surfers of his era and won back-to-back world titles on the 2016 World Surf ...

Hawaii *

Jérémy Florès Jérémy Florès (born 27 April 1988) is a French professional surfer. He is widely considered to be the most successful European surfer of all time. Early life Florès was born on Reunion Island, France, where he began surfing at the age of 3. ...

France * Justine Dupont France *

Singapore *

Maya Gabeira Maya Reis Gabeira (born April 10, 1987) is a Brazilian big wave surfer. She surfed a high wave in Nazaré, Portugal in February 2020, recorded by ''Guinness World Records'' as the biggest wave ever surfed by a woman. She also held the previous ...

Brazil *

Hawaii *

Malik Joyeux Malik Joyeux (31 March 1980 – 2 December 2005) was an accomplished all-around waterman and a professional Big Wave surfer. Known by many as the "petit prince", the goofy-foot surfer often gained attention for charging the treacherous barrels a ...

Tahiti, France * Dave Kalama Hawaii *

Hawaii * Kai Lenny Hawaii * Greg Long USA * Mark Mathews Australia * Garrett McNamara Hawaii *

USA * Jay Moriarity USA *

Greg Noll Greg Noll (' Lawhead; February 11, 1937 – June 28, 2021) was an American pioneer of big wave surfing and a prominent longboard shaper. Nicknamed "Da Bull" by Phil Edwards in reference to his physique and way of charging down the face of a w ...

USA * Jamie O'Brien Hawaii * Felicity Palmateer Australia * Mike Parsons USA * Bob Pike Australia *

Hawaii * Jeff Rowley Australia * Will Skudin New York * Sebastian Steudtner, Germany * Buzzy Trent Hawaii *

Mark Visser Mark Robert Visser (born 9 March 1983) is an Australian professional big wave surfer, author, keynote speaker and ocean adventurer. Visser is best known for being the first person to surf Hawaii's most dangerous wave Jaws, Maui, at night in ...

Australia *

Rodrigo Koxa Rodrigo Augusto do Espírito Santo (born September 22, 1979), known as Rodrigo Koxa, is a Brazilian professional big wave surfer and extreme waterman who broke the world record for largest wave ever surfed at Nazaré, Portugal, on November 8, 2 ...

Brazil * Mike Stewart Hawaii * Conor Maguire Ireland * Andrew Cotton United Kingdom

Big wave surfing movies

*'' Surf's Up 2: WaveMania'' (2017 sequel, fiction) *'' Distance between Dreams'' (2016) * ''Point Break'' (2015 remake, fiction) * ''View from a Blue Moon'' (2015) *MAD DOGS - The Conquest of Jaws (2015) *
Surfing giant waves
' (2023)Canal sentir (Mexico)) * ''Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau'' (2013) * ''Storm Surfers 3D'' (2012) *''

Chasing Mavericks ''Chasing Mavericks'' is a 2012 American biographical drama film about the life of American surfer Jay Moriarity (portrayed by Jonny Weston). It was directed by Curtis Hanson and Michael Apted, and stars Gerard Butler, Elisabeth Shue, Abigail ...

'' (2012, biographical drama film) *''

Fighting Fear ''Fighting Fear'' is a 2011 Australian documentary film about professional surfing. In 2013, the film was honored by the Australian Film Institute with two Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, specifically for Best Cinematogra ...

'' (2011) *''

Waveriders ''Waveriders'' is a 2008 documentary film produced by Margo Harkin and directed by Joel Conroy. Synopsis ''Waveriders'' focuses on the Irish roots of surfing. The film covers the life of Irish-Hawaiian surfer George Freeth and his influence in ...

'' (2008) * ''Pipeline'' (2007) * ''Surf's Up'' (2007, fiction) *'' Billabong Odyssey'' (2005) *''

Riding Giants ''Riding Giants'' is a 2004 documentary film produced by Agi Orsi and directed and narrated by Stacy Peralta, a famous skater/surfer. The movie traces the origins of surfing and specifically focuses on the art of big wave riding. Some of the ...

'' (2004) *''

Step Into Liquid ''Step into Liquid'' (2003) is a documentary about surfing directed by Dana Brown, son of famed surfer and filmmaker Bruce Brown. The film includes surfing footage from the famous Pipeline, the beaches of Vietnam, and some of the world's largest ...

'' (2003) *''

Die Another Day ''Die Another Day'' is a 2002 spy film and the twentieth film in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It was directed by Lee Tamahori, produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and written by Neal Purvis and Rober ...

'' (2002, fiction) *''

Strapped ''Strapped'' is a 1993 American television crime drama film produced by HBO Showcase. The film was directed by Forest Whitaker and is the cinematic debut of Bokeem Woodbine. It features several rappers including Fredro Starr, Sticky Fingaz, Mo ...

'' (2002) *''

Laird Laird () is a Scottish word for minor lord (or landlord) and is a designation that applies to an owner of a large, long-established Scotland, Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a Baronage of ...

'' (2002) * ''In God's Hands'' (1998, fiction) *''

Point Break ''Point Break'' is a 1991 American action film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by W. Peter Iliff. It stars Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey. The film's title refers to the surfing term " point break", where a ...

'' (1991, fiction) *''

Big Wednesday ''Big Wednesday'' is a 1978 American epic coming of age buddy sports comedy-drama film directed by John Milius. Written by Milius and Dennis Aaberg, it is loosely based on their own experiences at Malibu, California. The picture stars Jan-Michae ...

'' (1978) *'' Ride the Wild Surf'' (1964, fiction) * ''Surfing Hollow Days'' (1961)

References

* Warshaw, Matt. ''Mavericks: the story of big-wave surfing'', Chronicle Books, *Warshaw, Matt. "The Encyclopedia of Surfing." (2003).

External links

Wave Warrior
(pbs.org)

{{Surfing