Laura Enever Sets New Record for Largest Wave Surfed by a Woman

Laura Enever, who surfed for seven seasons on the WSL championship tour, is now making waves in the world of big wave surfing.

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

The t-shirt looks great with jeans or casuals! More colors & styles!!        Check out our selection here

NEW WAVE

NEW WAVE IS HERE! Follow the girls who are making waves on the California coast and jam out
to 'Born Again Teen' by Lucius.

'New Wave' is a throwback collection to the early days of surfing. Billabong has been deeply rooted in surf
culture from the very beginning. The new wave campaign is a modern spin on a iconic time that mixes
together product and brand heritage.

Athletes: Laura Enever, Alessa Quizon, Felicity Palmateer and Josie Prendergast
Appearances by: Mark Occhilupo, Italo Ferreira, Tyler Warren and Griffin Colapinto.
Music: 'Born Again Teen' by Lucius

Jungle

Jungle from Morgan Maassen

An unintentional surf film... sort of.

I created this film to explore long-form editing, give a home to so many projects/trips/travel that needed some context, and as a tip of the hat to my passion, surfing.

Direct/film/edit: Morgan Maassen

starring: Marlon Gerber, Lee Wilson, Noa Deane, Sterling Spencer, Dillon Perillo, Rob Machado, Laura Enever, Alessa Quizon, Bella Nicols, Nat Young, Andrew Doheny, Dane Reynolds, and Stephanie Gilmore.

Additional footage (Stephanie in Mexico) by Andrew Schoener

Music:
Rostam Batmanglij - "Doc's Song"
Broadcast - "Lunch Hour Pops"
Los Monstruos - "Hey Monstruo"
DJ Shadow - "Six Days" instrumental
East Village Radio - Mystery Song
Domenique Dumont - "La Bass et Les Shakers"

Atoll Odyssey

Video from: Billabong Womens
It’s a strange feeling to be adrift in the middle of nowhere. The sky above us, our boards below us, alone in the empty calm of the Indian Ocean, we imagined ourselves explorers seeking new horizons. Like modern-day Magellans, only with bikinis and surfboards. This is how people must have felt before there were maps: boundless and free. 

But the Maldives are on a map, of course. We pointed to them there, our fingers grazing a string of ring-shaped atolls composed of more than a 1,000 coral islands. We sketched plans for a surf trip there on the back of a dirty napkin, dreaming of white sand, bustling fish markets and water-color lagoons. 

Then, plans turned plane tickets, and we found ourselves adrift upon a rusty boat with Laura Enever, Alessa Quizon, and Isabella Nichols, our favorite bikinis from the Surf Capsule Collection, a quiver of boards, a few soggy egg sandwiches, and seven days at sea. 

The clouds were heavy with humidity above us, the rain beading on our skin, the ocean below: If we’d been searching for water, now we couldn’t escape it if we’d tried. So we gave ourselves to this otherworldly place, ducking under the roaring waves of Lohi’s and sliding through tubes at Jails, cross-stepping at Ninjas and gliding across the right-handed break at Cokes. Mornings were filled with curry and unmade beds, afternoons with surfing and belly laughs, nights watching the sharks feed under a tapestry of stars. 

We didn’t discover this place, but it’s our greatest discovery. It’s a strange feeling to be adrift in the middle of nowhere, but this is one odyssey that feels like coming home. 

Music Credit: 
“I Found the F” and “I Found the End”
Performed by Broadcast, Courtesy of Warp Records

The Summer is Coming

Summer is Coming. And that means sun, beautiful people, good music, surf and sweltering heat. Of course summer also means lots of fun days outside either at the seaside.

         

Priority - Surfing Web Series from the WSL

With the worlds best battling it out at a wet and windy Bells beach this week, the WSL were on the internet. No, not because of Kelly Slater’s terrible April fools joke – the WSL quietly released a new web series called Priority, which follows three professionals behind the scenes.

Josh Kerr, Laura Enever and rookie Matt Banting are gearing up for the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro on the Gold Coast, and along for the ride is the WSL film crew. Taking you behind the scenes as they prepare, compete and wind down after the event, it’s a fantastic look at a professional surfing event from start to finish.

With Laura Enever being knocked out in her first round, she took off to go skydiving in later rounds of competition, but young rookie Matt Banting caused a major upset when surfing the first round of the Quiksilver Pro, knocking out his idol Mick Fanning. He reminisces after his heat, “you shut everything off, and instincts kick in as soon as you take off on that wave. It’s kinda just all a blur, as soon as you top off you ask, what did I actually do? Was that one better than the last one?”

The show follows both Matt and Josh as they compete in the small swell, with some candid interviews with Josh after ‘that’ tantrum where he was filmed punching the nose of his board. Matt also bowed out to Jordy Smith, leaving all three of the featured surfers on the sidelines. Not to worry, that means more time for interviews!

Check out episode one of ‘Priority’, the World Surfing Leagues new web series about the behind the scenes life of surfing’s elite.

Laura Enever