Ever wondered what the longest wave ever to be surfed by a dog was?! How about the biggest wave ever surfed by a man? If you are interested in finding out the answers to these questions, or just some interesting surfing facts, BookSurfCamps.com has prepared a cool list with 10 of the most popular surfing records!
10. Longest Distance Kite Surfing in 24 Hours
Rimas Kinka managed to snatch the Guinness World Record for the longest distance kite surfing in 24 hours. The whopping distance of 401.2 miles (645,6 km) was achieved by Kinka on February 26, 2012. Wondering who the previous record holder was? Well, it was Kinka himself!
9. Longest Wave Surfed by a Dog
In 2011, the gorgeous Australian Kelpie, Abbie Girl, achieved a Guinness World Record for the longest wave surfed by a dog in open water. This beautiful lass surfed a distance of 65.62 yards (60 meters), when the minimum distance for the category was 30 yards (27.4 meters). Now that’s a good girl!
8. Youngest Surfer to Ride the Cribbar Wave
Teens and surfing go hand in hand, but for a teenager to surf the massive Cornish Cribbar wave was virtually unheard of. Until January, 2016, when Kamron Matthews, from Cornwall did it and thus became the youngest ever surfer to ride that stunning wave at the age of 15. Impressive, right?
7. Longest Surfing Marathon
Surfing is one of the most exhausting sports out there. It takes a lot of energy to maintain your balance on the board and to surf the waves, which is why this record is so impressive. Kurtis Loftus completed the longest surfing marathon in October 2011, in Jacksonville, Florida. It lasted for 29 hours and 1 minute!
6. Largest Collection of Surfboards
American Donald Dettloff loves surfboards so much that he started collecting them decades ago. Right now he holds the record for the Largest Collection of Surfboards – he’s got 647! That number is so high, that he simply didn’t have a place to put them all, so he started making a fence from them. The already famous surfboard fence can be seen in Maui, Hawaii.
5. Most People Riding a Kitesurf Board
Billionaires are always a bit eccentric, aren’t they? Which is why it isn’t at all surprising that Richard Branson, the mogul behind the Virgin empire, holds this peculiar surfing record. In February 2014, Branson, along with Susi Mai, Alice Galliers and Alison DiSpaltro set the record for the most people to ride a kitesurf board simultaneously. The event took place at Branson’s own Necker Island.
4. Most Consecutive Days Surfing
American Dale Webster loves surfing so much that he’s gone surfing every single day since September 2, 1975! As you can see in the photo, he’s just passed his 14,610th day of surfing! Catching at least three waves to shore make for one successful surf day, according to Webster.
3. Most People Riding a Surfboard
On June 2015, 66 people were crammed on a large surfboard measuring 42 ft 1.5 in (12.83 m) in length, 11ft 1 in (3.37 m) in width and 1ft 4.4 in (0.41 m) in thickness (which also set the Guinness World Record for the largest surfboard). The record was achieved by the Epic Big Board Ride and Visit Huntington Beach and the Epic Big Board Ride (both USA) in Huntington Beach, California.
2. Largest Surf Lesson
In 2015, 320 people put on their Santa suits and went to Bondi Beach for a surf lesson, thus setting a Guinness World Record! The lesson was 30 minutes long and it was provided by Let’s Go Surfing, a local surf school. If you think this record may sound a bit trivial, think again! The event was meant to raise awareness and money for mental health.
1. Largest Wave Ever Surfed
Hawaiian Garrett McNamara is the person who has surfed the largest wave in the world! This happened in 2012 in the city of Nazaré, Portugal and the wave in question was a gigantic 78 feet tall! In order for McNamara to be in the correct position that would allow him to surf the wave, he had to be towed from a jet ski.
Inspired by these awesome surf achievements and think you’ve got what it takes to try to beat a record? Or they made you intrigued to go on a surf vacation? Head over to BookSurfCamps.com and browse our large collection of surf vacations and camps where you can hone in your surfing skills and have plenty of fun while doing so!
About the Author
Cristina is the Community Manager of BookSurfCamps.com, a themed travel website offering a vast collection of surf camps and holidays. She is also a passionate traveler, cat aficionado and novice writer.