After riding a monster wave that measured 28.57 metres in height at Nazaré, Portugal on 24 February, the 38-year-old German giant wave surfer Sebastian Steudtner may have broken his own world record, as he revealed on his social media platforms this past Thursday, 18 April. In order to determine whether he indeed established a new mark, the current world record holder is still awaiting an analysis from Guinness which may take a while. The current world record stands at 26.21 metres, which Steudtner also set in Nazaré back in 2020.

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: by_joaocordass;

It takes time for Guinness World Records to be officially announced, so even though Steudtner surfed the wave in February, it is still unknown at this time if a new record was set. For instance, the wave he surfed which obtained the Guinness world record was surfed on 29 October 2020, however, it was only awarded in 2022. Nonetheless, one thing is certain despite the uncertainty surrounding the new record, Steudtner currently holds the world record, surpassing the previous two scores set by Brazilian Maya Gabieira, the only woman to have the same world record recognised.

Modern drone technology created by Porsche Engineering and Team Steudtner has been used to measure the height. The Porsche Engineering and Team Steudtner prototype has cameras, control panels, and storage boxes installed which enables that within a radius of roughly 100 metres, the device can measure every part of the wave and the surfer. "I am very grateful to Porsche for the cooperative partnership over the past three years”, Sebastian has told Porche’s, adding that "True to 'Driven by Dreams' and with Porsche as a partner I have been able to fulfil my dream of contributing to the further development of my sport".

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: by_joaocordass;

As part of his ‘Mission Wave Alpha’ project, Steudtner has been based in Nazaré for the past few years. He has collaborated with Porsche, Porsche Engineering, Schaeffler, O2, DVAG, and X-BIONIC to push the sport to new heights in terms of everything from water safety, board materials, and design to surfing the biggest waves.

Author

After studying Journalism for five years in the UK and Malta, Sara Durães moved back to Portugal to pursue her passion for writing and connecting with people. A ‘wanderluster’, Sara loves the beach, long walks, and sports. 

Sara J. Durães