A Surfer Rode a 24-Metre Wave Into the Record Books

The wave arrived at mid-aftertonoon, moved the buoy markers, and rewrote a record. Three separate analyses — laser from the cliff, video parallax and jet-ski speed logs — put its face at 24.1 metres.

She rode it for eleven seconds, made the exit section, and then the closeout put her through the spin cycle. Her rescue driver collected her 300 metres further in, laughing.

"People ask why the wipeout doesn't scare me off," she told reporters. "The wave gave me the ride. The wipeout was just the receipt."

“The wipeout that followed was, in her words, "part of the deal". The wave has since been verified by three independent measurements.”