Slebir surfed that monster wave at Mavericks near Half Moon Bay that could propel him into the record books.
“It wasn’t like a decision of maybe we should go or not, like myself and my two partners, Luca Padua from Half Moon Bay, we knew right away we wanted it, said grab the rope and he towed me, and the rest is now we’re here,” said Slebir.
The 23-year-old surfer has now been thrown into the media spotlight after some say he surfed a wave estimated to be 108 feet tall.
Watch video here
If confirmed it would shatter the current world record by more than 20 feet. Slebir describes barreling down the enormous wave.
“You’re going so fast on those surfboards, you’re probably going 30, 40, 50 miles an hour and that wave was so tall that it was sucking so much water coming back at you that it was a weird feeling, feeling the friction of the water underneath the surfboard, I’ve never felt that on really any other wave that I’ve ever caught,” Slebir said.
That’s because by all accounts Mavericks saw some of the largest waves on December 23rd, something surfers had never seen before. John Mel was in the water that day with surfing buddy Slebir.
“Like my dad’s been out there for 30 years or whatever, and he says that’s the biggest and craziest he’s ever seen it, so that’s saying a lot so I might not ever even get it again in my lifetime who knows,” said Mel.
“Yeah, pretty rad it’s super cool to see the people from Santa Cruz getting that publicity and super stoked for Alo he works really, really hard trains super hard,” said Peter Mel.
But Slebir is as humble as they come, he’s not concerned about a world record but rather getting into the water every day.
“A lot of people reaching out and the chaos and the social media around it but like I’ve stated a lot to many people is like I rode the biggest wave of my life and that’s all that really matters to me, and I’m going to keep pursuing that for me personally,” said Slebir.
It’s too early to say if Slebir has made the record books. That decision will be made by Guinness World Records and the World Surf League, and that process could take months.
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Laura Enever, who surfed for seven seasons on the WSL championship tour, is now making waves in the world of big wave surfing.
Australian surfer Laura Enever has made history by officially breaking the world record for the largest wave ever paddled into by a woman. The 31-year-old surfed a monstrous 13.3-meter (43.6-foot) wave at Outer Reef on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, earlier this year. The wave, which was measured and verified by the World Surf League and Guinness World Records, dwarfed the previous record of 12.2 metres set by Andrea Moller in 2016.
According to Guinness World Records, for pro-athletes like Laura, who have dedicated their lives to the world of watersports, riding to such heights can be life-changing. Many wait all their lives for the chance to meet the wave; some of them, as is the case of Laura, are destined to make history.
Laura Enever expressed her pride in surpassing Andrea Moller's record and her commitment to pushing the boundaries of big-wave surfing.
"And I know that the next girls, the next generation of female big wave surfers, are going to do the same," Laura told GWR.
"I would never be in this position if it weren't for all the big wave surfers who have come before me and paved the way, especially the really brave, courageous females who have always inspired me and made me feel like I could get out there and give it a crack," Laura declared to the WSL.
Previous World Record and Current World Records
Largest Wave Surfed (Paddle) – Female
[New]: Laura Enever, 43.6 feet, “Outer Reef,” Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi on Jan. 22, 2023
[Previous]: Andrea Moller, 42 feet, Peʻahi, Maui, Hawaiʻi in January 2016
Largest Wave Surfed (Paddle) – Male: Aaron Gold, 63 feet, Peʻahi, Maui, Hawaiʻi on Jan. 15, 2016
Largest Wave Surfed (Unlimited) – Male: Sebastian Steudtner, 86 feet, Nazaré,Portugal on Oct. 29, 2020
Largest Wave Surfed (Unlimited) – Female: Maya Gabeira, 73.5 feet, Nazaré, Portugal on Feb. 11, 2020
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