2023 Biggest Paddle Winners: Laura Enever and Reinaldo "Chacha" Ibarra Paddle Into First

Originally posted on SURFER | By Bill Sharp | Last updated 5/6/24

Laura Enever

You never know when the biggest wave you have ever encountered will loom up before you and test your resolve. This happened to Australia’s Laura Enever in January of 2023 on an outer reef along Oahu’s North Shore on the same day the Eddie Aikau contest was running at Waimea Bay.

Enever was an alternate in the Eddie comp but didn’t want to spend the day hoping someone would no-show, so she made plans to meet up with other free surfers way out to sea at a break that only shows its face on super special occasions. Suddenly, Laura found herself in position for a monumental blue wall that seemingly came right to her.

Summoning all her strength and mental will, she paddled for the massive gift from god and launched herself over the ledge and into history. The wave was later ruled a new Guinness World Record—the largest wave ever caught by a woman using only her arms for propulsion.

Video: Ian Grose | Photo: Daniel Russo

2023 Big Wave Challenge Biggest Paddle Wave: Chacha Ibarra, Punta De Lobos, Chile (0:43)

Reinaldo "Chacha" Ibarra

When it comes to chasing down the biggest paddle-in waves of the year, the breaks that often come to mind are places like Jaws in Hawaii, Mavericks in Northern California, or Todos Santos off of Baja California, Mexico. But when winter wanes in the Northern Hemisphere, the storms fire up south of the equator, and exposed coastlines in Australia, South Africa, and South America light up.

Among the most potent targets for these “off-season” scores are in Chile, and none is more highly regarded than Punta de Lobos, a famed point break in Pichilemu, south of Santiago.

It was at this iconic break that local legend Reinaldo “Chacha” Ibarra did what he does best, paddling into the wave of the day and right into the trophy for the Biggest Paddle Wave caught by a man anywhere in the world during the 2022/23 season.

Video: Oscar Fredes Rodrigues and Rodrigo Farias

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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