A French surfer may have broken the world record for riding the biggest wave ever surfed by a woman.
Justine Dupont took on a huge swell estimated to be bigger than 20 meters at Nazaré, Portugal on Thursday (November 14). The current world record was set by Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira in 2018, and stands at 68 feet (20.72 meters), making this new wave by Dupont a potential historic record.
French press (L’Equipe), advances with a new world record for this wave ahead of the official measurements, which will be posted in May 2020 during the WSL Big Wave Awards.
Filmer Pedro Miranda told Newsflare: “This was for sure the bomb of the day, and one of the most impressive and critical rides I’ve ever watched in Nazaré, Justine was riding backside which makes it even more difficult and her ride was flawless, she rode the wave as deep and technical as it gets.”
He added: “I’ve captured Maya Gabeira’s record wave in 2018 and it’s difficult to call which one is bigger, it’s definitely a proper candidate to beat Maya’s record wave, but I prefer to avoid any speculation and let the WSL judges compare all angles, I’m really happy for Justine, she’s a warrior!”
Praia do Norte beach, near the fishing village of Nazaré, has become famous worldwide for huge waves in 2011, when Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara set a world record for the largest wave ever surfed at 78-foot at the time, in 2017 that record was broken by Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa, setting the bar at 80-foot.