This is for all you surfers out there. Could you surf a wave 62.3 feet high? And survive?
A 62.3 foot wave was recorded by a buoy in the North Atlantic and broke a record as to the largest wave ever recorded per the Meteorological Organization.
Most anyone can surf the wave in your example (far out in the Atlantic). Even I can do that ;-).
It is only when that wave get into shallow water that it becomes 'surf'. It grows even taller and start breaking. And then I would not dare to come anywhere near it.
That's like saying "hey you mountain climbers out there, can you climb Mt Everest?" 99 percent will say NO. This is a question for someone who is more than a surfer. This is a question for the rare individual who has studied how to accomplish this his whole life.
This post was edited by WM BARR . =ABSOLUTE TRASH at December 17, 2016 12:12 PM MST
Perhaps more important than wave height is wave shape. I once saw a video of someone who surfed a record large wave off the coast of Portugal, and the wave was so gently sloped I think almost any reasonably competent surfer could have handled it.
On the other hand, I have boogie-boarded at Zuma Beach (Malibu, CA) in 4-foot surf and ended my session early because the waves were pitching very steeply into very shallow water, greatly increasing the risk of injury on any given ride.
The main difficulties which keep anyone but experts away from very large surf are:
1) Above a certain wave size, it is nearly impossible to get a surfboard up to the necessary speed to catch the wave unless the surfer is towed by jet ski into position.
2) If ***anything*** goes wrong while attempting to surf very large waves, the potential dangers are much greater than in smaller surf. The longest I've ever had to hold my breath after a wipeout is probably 20 seconds or less. Large wave surfers routinely have to be able to hold their breath and paddle effectively for 30 seconds or more if they get caught in the impact zone at Pe'ahi (Jaws), Mavericks, and the like.
JakobA the unAmerican. 