Footage shared Friday showed a surfer appearing to break a world record by soaring down the face of the biggest wave ever surfed.
World-record-holding big wave surfer Sebastian Steudtner has reportedly surfed the biggest wave ever measured, according to a statement from Porsche, whom Steudtner is partnered with. The German athlete managed to tackle the 93.73-foot behemoth wave at Nazaré, Portugal, captured in all its glory by Porsche’s drone engineering team.
“I am very grateful to Porsche for the cooperative partnership over the past three years,” Steudtner said after the feat. “True to ‘Driven by Dreams’ and with Porsche as a partner I have been able to fulfill my dream of contributing to the further development of my sport.”
A world record-holding surfer tackled what could be the biggest wave ever, in Nazaré, Portugal.
The monster wave was measured at 93.73ft utilizing state-of-the-art drone technology. https://t.co/EAhrTWPP0u pic.twitter.com/eMIAyqJ03R
— ABC News (@ABC) April 19, 2024
Steudtner holds the previous world record for big wave surfing at the same spot in Portugal in 2020 for an 86.4-foot wave. (RELATED: Kenny Powers’ Surfing Intro Is One Of The Best Scenes In TV History)
Porsche hopes their new drone technology will revolutionize the sport of surfing, allowing viewers to see the elegant art form in a whole new way. “We are open to share our technical insights from the drone development with official experts. Our goal is to further increase transparency in big wave surfing and to provide accurate measurement data more quickly,” Porsche Engineering project manager Marcus Schmelz said in the statement.
BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 17: Sebastian Steudtner attends the 2020 Laureus World Sports Awards at Verti Music Hall on February 17, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Boris Streubel/Getty Images for Laureus)
BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 17: Surfer Sebastian Steudtner speaks during an interview at the Mercedes Benz Building prior to the Laureus World Sports Awards on February 17, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Boris Streubel/Getty Images for Laureus)
DUESSELDORF, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 24: Big-wave surfer Sebastian Steudtner attends the German Sustainability Award at Maritim Hotel on November 24, 2023 in Duesseldorf, Germany. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
German surfer Sebastian Steudtner poses with his new board at the booth of German car producer Porsche of the IAA Automobile show in Munich, southern Germany, on September 8, 2023. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images)
“Big Wave Surfing is a beautiful sport; I love it and I am very proud to be able to bring it to the next level through development of safety and technology and believing in my dream,” Steudtner noted. (RELATED: Violent Swan Attacks Wake Surfer In Hysterical Video)
Steudtner developed the surfboard technology used in the latest world record with Porsche, too. Optimizing the design took three years but now he can reach speeds up to 100km per hour (about 62 miles per hour) on his board. This speed is required to ride the biggest waves.