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Guinness World Records in partnership with the World Surf League (WSL) claim to maintain “official world records” for the biggest waves ever surfed. According to their “official records”, the largest wave ever surfed is a 93.7-foot (28.6 m) wave by Sebastian Steudtner at Nazaré, Portugal, in 2024. Counter to this, according to Venerated Big Wave Surfers around the world the largest waves ever surfed were well over 100’ by Milton and Michael Willis at Devil’s Garden, Kingdom of Hawaii, in 1998.
There are ongoing debates in the corporate and surfing worlds about how wave heights should be measured and what counts as a legitimate surfing world record. It’s almost as if there are two entirely different ways of determining a true Big Wave Surfing World Record holder. One is based of hype the other substance.
In the corporate world Guinness World Records and WSL’s staff of independent experts including engineers and scientists claim to use a strict scientific measurement standard and an intricate verification processes to determine a winner. The Willis brothers accomplishment on January 28th 1998 has not been officially recognized by either of these these bodies.
The International Surfing World made up of independent experts including big wave and professional surfers use their own strict empirical measuring standards and an extremely intricate verification process. Sebastian Steudtner’s Guinness World Records ride is not officially recognized by any esteemed big wave surfers within the surfing community.
Scientific data is a subset of empirical data that is specifically collected, analyzed, and validated using a scientific method. Empirical data refers to information gathered through direct observation or experimentation using the senses or measurement tools.
Guinness World Records and WSL vs. the Surfing World and Expert Big Wave Surfers: Measurement and Verification Standards
Guinness World Records uses video and photo evidence. Multiple high-quality video and photographic angles are required to document the ride. The reason they use multiple “photographic angles” is because the angle from which a photo is taken can make a wave appear twice as big or in some cases twice as small. Of course they will select the optimal image to make the wave appear it’s biggest even if it’s an illusion.
Expert Big Wave Surfers do not rely on videos or photographic evidence. Videos and photographs are not required to document a ride with the reasoning, just because a wave looks 25’ in a photograph doesn’t mean it actually was 25’ in reality. Photographic evidence can be and often is misleading.
Guinness World Records references objects,
known measurements (such as the surfer’s lower leg, surfboard, or a nearby jet ski) are used as “rulers” to calibrate the scale of the wave in the footage.
Expert big wave surfers laugh at using a lower leg or jet ski as a ruler to calibrate the size of a wave from a photograph. There is no way using a lower leg can accurately be used as a measuring reference let alone be considered scientific.
Guinness World Records claims to employ geometric correction. Frames are extracted and geometrically corrected based on camera position, tilt, elevation, and lens parameters to account for distortion and perspective.
Expert big wave surfers agree, photographic frames should not have to be extracted and geometrically corrected to establish accurate wave height that’s photoshop stuff, more like art than science, the art of deception.
Guinness World Records uses 3D Modeling. In some cases, advanced 3D modeling and computational analysis are used to determine the true height of a wave from trough to crest.
For the majority if not all expert big wave surfers advanced 3D modeling and computational analysis to measure wave height does not compute and is not considered valid.
The Guinness World Records and the WSL vs. the Surfing World and Expert Big Wave Surfers Verification Process:
Guinness World Records and the WSL submission process requires surfers or teams to submit photos of their rides for review through an official portal.
Expert Big Wave Surfers don’t use photos as official evidence they do use buoy reports, swell analysis and qualified expert eyewitness verification.
The WSL and Guinness World Records jointly analyze wave height with “the photographic evidence” applying “standardized measurement protocols.”
Expert Big Wave Surfers do not need to analyze wave height. Keen observation skills acquired from years of dedicated big wave surfing and experience allow them to instantly judge wave heights accurately.
Who better to judge wave heights than actual Authoritative Big Wave Surfing Specialists?
An official Guinness World Records adjudicator verifies the process and result before certification.
The entire Big Wave Surfing Community verifies the accomplishment which instantly becomes legendary.
After all is said and done who is the actual world record holder for surfing the biggest wave ever? Does the true record holder come from the corporate world or the surfing world?
Sebastian Steudtner is the corporate world/Guinness World Records holder for the biggest waves ever surfed. His sponsors include Porsche and Porsche Engineering, Schaeffler, O2 Germany, Deutsche and Vermögensberatung. Previous sponsors have included Mercedes Benz, Adidas and NIVEA.
Milton and Michael Willis are the Surfing World’s record holders of the biggest waves ever surfed. They had no corporate sponsorship instead they were working class making money shaping their popular Willis Brothers Surfboards.
Milton and Michael are not recognized by the Guinness World Records and the WSL but they are recognized in high esteem by Surfing Authorities and Big Wave Surfing Experts as the Big Wave Surfing Champions of the World.
While Steudtner is highly respected for his feat and is considered legendary within some circles, he is not officially recognized by any Expert Big Wave Surfers as the record holder for surfing the world’s biggest waves. In fact many expert big wave surfers question if he could actually paddle into a 20’ wave.
Expert sources such as photos by Hank, Pro Surfers such as Pipeline Master Winner Robbie Page and Big Wave Specialists such as Nathen Fletcher assert that the waves they Milton and Michael rode that day were larger than any swell, any where before or after and Milton Willis is the real and true world champion of extreme big wave surfing verified according to international standards of the best big wave surfers in the entire world.
No one of significance or Merit in the big wave surfing world recognizes Sebastian Steudtner’s Guinness, world record other than Sebastian, the WSL and Guinness World Records, those that have Big Wave Surfing experience, expertise authority, and trustworthiness recognize the Willis Brothers Milton and Michael as the official and true World Record Holders for Surfing the biggest waves in history (125’ plus) to date yet to be surpassed.
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