The World Surf League announced that Laura Enever has set a new Guinness World Record for the largest wave surfed paddle-in by a woman. The record was broken at an outer reef on the North Shore of Oahu, where Enever surfed a wave measuring 43.6 feet from trough to crest on January 22, 2023.
“I knew it was big when I paddled into it and then when I took off I looked down and I knew it was definitely the biggest wave I’ve ever caught,” said Enever to the WSL. “I knew it was the wave of my life, the whole way it all came together and the way I committed, backed myself, told myself to go, and trusted I could do it. The ride was such a breakthrough for me and a moment that will be really special and monumental in my surf career. To get awarded this months later is really cool, I can’t believe it.”
The previous record-holder was Andrea Moller, who caught a 42-foot wave on January 16, 2016, at Pe’ahi, Maui. Enever gave a nod to her achievement in her acceptance of the new record. “I would never be in this position if it wasn’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,” she said. “So thank you to all the amazing women and I’m just constantly in awe. Andrea Moller held this record before me and it’s an honor to hold that record and keep pushing big wave surfing. And I know that the next girls, the next generation of female big wave surfers are going to do the same.”
The height of the wave was determined in collaboration with the WSL science team, led by Michal Pieszka, Senior Research and Development Engineer of the Kelly Slater Wave Company. Frames from video footage of Enever’s wave were extracted and geometrically corrected based on camera positions and angles. Then, objects with known sizes, such as jet skis and Enever herself, were used to convert measurements of the image from pixels to feet. The location of the trough and crest of the wave was determined from analysis of the video from two different angles. This was then combined with information about the site, the location of the videographers and location of the wave.
“I’ve worked my whole life to be a professional surfer and to be on the World Tour,” said Enever. “I was there and I gave that up for this pull and urge to surf big waves. I was just thinking I just wanted to go do this for me, and to be here today and to have a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the biggest paddle, I can’t believe it.”
