Watch professional surfer Garrett McNamara take on a 90-foot, world record breaking wave and make it look like no big deal.
McNamara broke the world record for largest wave ever conquered by a surfer at the ZON North Canyon Show at Nazaré Canyon in Portugal. According to Drift Surfing, this location has unusually intense waves:
The “Nazaré Canyon” is a rare geographical phenomenon, the biggest in Europe and one of the largest in the world, which can be explained as a gap on the continental plate with 170 kilometers of length and 5 kilometers of depth. The “Nazaré Canyon”, that is located right in front of Praia do Norte, receives the swells from the Atlantic Ocean and creates waves with abnormal size, compared to the rest of the Portuguese coast.
Drift Surfing reports that McNamara was surfing with Andrew Cotton, from the UK, and Al Mennie, from Ireland, when this giant wave came in. Here is Mennie’s account:
“Everything seemed to be perfect, the weather, the waves. Both Cotty and I rode two big ones in the 60ft + range and then when Garrett got on the rope a wave, maybe 30 feet bigger came out of the canyon, it was meant to be. I had the best seat in the house as I was doing water safety on the ski as he dropped down the face of the biggest wave I’ve ever seen. It was incredible. Most people would look scared but Garrett looked in control as he went down the most critical part of the wave. It was an inspirational ride by an inspirational surfer.”
McNamara is reported as saying he felt “blessed” to ride the mysterious waves in this canyon.
[H/T Business Insider]



















































































































mauijonny
Nov. 11, 2011 at 3:21amI heart.
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sniph
Nov. 10, 2011 at 11:05pmNice!
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oldschoolgreen
Nov. 10, 2011 at 10:41pmwoof!
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snrar
Nov. 10, 2011 at 10:10pmMan these guys got a pair !
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yiddishlion
Nov. 10, 2011 at 8:46pmHas anyone noticed that there is absolutely no way that was a 90ft wave? Large for sure, but NOT 90ft.
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csehlmeyer
Nov. 10, 2011 at 9:34pmIf the surfer is about 6 feet tall and you can measure the height of his body compared to the height of the wave at least 15 times, then the wave easily is 90 feet high from bottom to top. Oh yea, that wave is about 90 feet high. Awesome. He’s got guts and a little crasy too.
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yiddishlion
Nov. 11, 2011 at 1:58amYeah, I’m not retarded, I did the comparison and it is NOT a 90 foot wave. Also he rode the very end of the wave. Not the full tube.
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csehlmeyer
Nov. 11, 2011 at 8:13amNo, I wasn’t trying to make you out to be an idiot. I watched the whole video of this guy on You Tube. The 25 second video doesn’t show the whole ride. Stop the video at it’s peak wave size and measure the guy compared to the size of the wave from top to bottom. It’s at least 90 feet if not taller, but thanks for checking back to my post, Yiddishlion. Cut and paste the address link;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7A6J_gKHUw&feature=related
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P8riot
Nov. 10, 2011 at 3:16pmnice
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Duckulismrulz
Nov. 10, 2011 at 1:04pmAwesome.
I’ll bet the adrenaline rush is still pounding in his chest
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ArgumentumAdAbsurdum
Nov. 10, 2011 at 12:52pmapparently you have a hard time reading, as i stated i was under a different username
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Mustangdave
Nov. 10, 2011 at 12:50pmthat was AWESOME….
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forthepeople
Nov. 10, 2011 at 10:38amWow !
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1stgenmill
Nov. 10, 2011 at 9:29amever watch an 800 meter relay before? Tow in is no different…..you gotta match momentums….humans have limits. Otherwise your just watchin waves go by.
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hi
Nov. 10, 2011 at 8:31amI wonder what he will do when he turns 45 or 50 and his body can’t take it anymore. He will be bored.
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Slipstick
Nov. 10, 2011 at 8:11amLike skydiving, bungee jumping & mountain climbing, I feel that placing ones’ tender hide in mortal danger for ‘sport’ is, shall we say, unwise? (…perhaps, even a tad insane?) One slip and this dude would be blenderized chum. On the flip side, it was beautiful and I could hear The Beach Boys singing in the background… I admire his courage, if not his common sense.
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let us prey
Nov. 10, 2011 at 7:26amTowed in or not this takes a huge set of brass b@11s. Double overhead is scary enough, this is spine-chilling.
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4xeverything
Nov. 10, 2011 at 6:38amTubular Dude!!
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atechgeek
Nov. 10, 2011 at 8:39amFor Reals !!
WOW … I mean WOW .. All I can say is WOW !!!!
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salvawhoray
Nov. 10, 2011 at 2:06ampiss poor editing.
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Psychosis
Nov. 10, 2011 at 2:21amthen go somewhere else maybe the huff and puff is more your speed
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ArgumentumAdAbsurdum
Nov. 10, 2011 at 2:37am@psychosis
I always find it funny that commenters here talk trash about the huffington post considering about 75% of the stories on this site are basically cut and pasted, with a slight touch of editorial commenting, from HuffPo.
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ArgumentumAdAbsurdum
Nov. 10, 2011 at 2:38am@psychosis
For example… this story. LMAO
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CanteenBoy
Nov. 10, 2011 at 7:11amPiss-poor comment; plus, you started your sentence in lowercase.
Brilliance abounds you.
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MB1
Nov. 10, 2011 at 1:58amAnd he is doing it backside
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MB1
Nov. 10, 2011 at 1:57amYEEEEEEEW Charge it!!
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ArgumentumAdAbsurdum
Nov. 10, 2011 at 1:49amI’m no surfer but somehow I think being towed in, which he undoubtedly was, is cheating.
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your sensei
Nov. 10, 2011 at 1:54amYou’re right, you’re no surfer.
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MB1
Nov. 10, 2011 at 1:56amThey get towed in when its that big, plus there is straps for the feet, but its still insane
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ArgumentumAdAbsurdum
Nov. 10, 2011 at 2:00am@sensei
isnt the whole point of surfing being at one with nature and experiencing (and overcoming) the raw power that nature can produce. doesnt using machinery (ie jet skis) defeat the whole purpose?
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MB1
Nov. 10, 2011 at 2:07amnaaw surfing nowdays is just like any other popular sport and is so commercialized that it crowds the lineups 24/7 with little kids that should be in school, but now getting in my way.
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Psychosis
Nov. 10, 2011 at 2:22amnew troll say hi to old troll …………………….sensei
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MB1
Nov. 10, 2011 at 2:31amhow is anyone a troll when we are all talking about surfing haha,
-by the way, Cain 2012! since this is a political site
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ArgumentumAdAbsurdum
Nov. 10, 2011 at 2:44am@psychosis
I’m hardly a troll. Ive been on this site since launch day, in fact you and I have tangled in the past and as I recall had some decent back and forths ( you may remeber me as Gnome Chomsky)
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FL-Surf
Nov. 10, 2011 at 8:29amTo paddle into a wave that big and that fast would be like trying to outrun bazooka missile, fired from 200 yards away, from a standstill. It’s necessary to get towed into a wave that large.
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