Was This the Largest Wave Ever Ridden?

The German-born Steudtner made headlines several years ago when officially got the world record for the largest wave ever ridden, a walloping 86-foot Nazaré giant in 2020. But in February this year, Steudtner rode what is being described as a 93-foot wave in unholy storm surf in front of the iconic lighthouse. We’re still waiting on the official word if this is a new world record (hello, Guinness?), but you can dive into the nuances of that debate here.

In the video below, Steudtner gives a brief BTS look at how he and his team prep for Nazare and how technology is used to measure waves. We’ve come a long way since drones fell into the underwater canyon. They don’t exactly divulge all the details, but based on camera and sensor tech developed with Porsche Engineering, the big-wave surfer claimed this mountain was water to be 93 feet tall. 

If it is, Steudtner could claim having ridden the two biggest recorded waves in history. Quite the feat. Find out if it will take home a SURFER Big Wave Challenge award this October.