Rodrigo ‘Koxa’ Augusto do Espírito Santo (born September 22, 1979) is a Brazilian professional big wave
surfer and extreme waterman who broke the world record for largest wave ever surfed at
Nazaré, Portugal
Nazaré () is a Portugal, Portuguese town and municipality located in the Oeste Subregion, Oeste region, in the historical province of Estremadura Province (1936-1976), Estremadura, and in the Leiria District. The municipality has a population of 1 ...
, in November 8, 2017.
Biography
Rodrigo ‘Koxa’ Augusto do Espírito Santo was born in
Jundiaí
Jundiaí is a municipality in the state of São Paulo, in the Southeast Region of Brazil, located north of São Paulo. The population of the city is 423,006 (2020 est.), with an area of 431.21 km². The elevation is 761 m.
The GDP of the ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
on September 22, 1979, and began his surfing career in 1988 on the beaches of
Guarujá, Brazil.
On April 30, 2018, Koxa won the coveted Quiksilver XXL Biggest Wave prize, in the Big Wave Awards of
World Surf League (WSL). His wave was recognised by judges of the
Santa Monica,
CA-based Big Wave Awards as the biggest wave ever surfed in history. He now holds the position in the
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 reference book published annually, listing world ...
with the biggest wave ever surfed in the history of the World Surf League.
Koxa surfed the wave on November 8, 2017, in the village of Nazaré,
Oeste region of
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
. The feat was declared as the new world record, the wave's height having been about , supplanting the previous record of an estimated set in 2011 by Koxa's mentor
Garrett McNamara
Garrett ‘GMAC’ McNamara (born August 10, 1967) is an American professional big wave surfer and extreme waterman known for breaking the world record for largest wave ever surfed at Nazaré, Portugal, successfully negotiating a monstrous barre ...
.
In August 2010, Koxa had reached a previous record. In
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, he surfed the largest wave ever seen in
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
, estimated at more than face, earning him the record of surfing the highest wave of South America.
See also
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Nazaré, Portugal
Nazaré () is a Portugal, Portuguese town and municipality located in the Oeste Subregion, Oeste region, in the historical province of Estremadura Province (1936-1976), Estremadura, and in the Leiria District. The municipality has a population of 1 ...
*
Praia do Norte (Nazaré)
Praia do Norte (‘North Beach’) is a beach located in Nazaré, Portugal, which due to its giant white breaking waves is famed for its surfing conditions. Nazaré's waves were listed on the ''Guinness Book of Records'' for the biggest waves eve ...
References
External links
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Rodrigo Koxa surfing in Nazaré, Portugal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koxa, Rodrigo
1979 births
People from Jundiaí
Brazilian surfers
Big wave surfing
Living people
Sportspeople from São Paulo (state)