Biggest surf you've ridden?

[peterslovo]

Just wondering, what's the biggest surf you have successfully paddled into and ridden, and where was it? This is not intended to be a dick-waving exercise, just wanted to see what the range out there was.

For me, it was solid double overhead plus Morro Negro (pointbreak) on Lanzarote in the Canaries. I still fondly remember those rights...

In the US, it was nearly double overhead, meaty and cold, Maine beachbreak.

Some day I'd love to try something bigger, but would like it to be somewhere warm!

[Ripzalot]

nearly double also. florida hurricane surf, sebastien inlet (monster hole).

and i nearly drowned, caught inside, over the falls 3 times in a row.

[peterslovo]

nearly double also. florida hurricane surf, sebastien inlet (monster hole).

I've always wanted to surf Monster Hole - heard so many cool things about that wave (including the sharks). No interest in the Inlet itself though.

[pappag]

Legit 8' face back in late September, 2003. Was on a 9'4" board. Started the day off in Manasquan, NJ around 6 in the morning for a couple of hours. Was around head-high when the incoming tide started to jack things up a bit. There was a surf contest there that day, and with only two main peaks and tons of people in the water, I headed 20 miles south to Seaside Park (13th Street). Waves were 3-4 feet bigger and more hollowed out. In my 20 years of water experience down there, I've seen bigger but never as rideable as it was that day with west winds at 10 mph.



Below is a recent picture that shows there is no surf in NJ:

[Yeti]

Well overhead in Maine -- I didn't choose to look up to see how much, but the clean faces were just incredible. Hurricane season 2004.

I've only been by Monster Hole once -- paddled over from the inlet this April, but there wasn't anything going on so we took off. Surf tourism at its worst?

[peterslovo]

Below is a recent picture that shows there is no surf in NJ:

No doubt. One thing I surely miss is NJ consistency. Much more consistent than Maine...

Yeti, did you get out today? Was very fun - and very cold - over this way. My feet came out like icicles after 1.5 hours!

[tahoe2stroker]

Rode some pretty big swell in New Hampshire a quite few years back. Had to be at least 10 foot, shouldnt have been out there, it was a mess. Fall before last i got Waddell Creek north of santa cruz big and clean. Once again had to be about 10 foot, but packed a hell of a punch, and was breaking hard. I was scared to be out, all i had was my 6 foot fish, wished i had something with a little bit more size to it.

[F#*k you cat]

Surf City USA
Overhead by just a little.
Paddled out with out getting my hair wet. 7'06" egg
Bided my time...and caught a single overhead wave. made the bottom turn. had the wave nearly wash my back foot off the board before I got in the clean infront of the whitewash. Ran down the line...made the section and stepped off my board in ankle deep water.
so Happy I skipped down the beach.
Manhattan Beach CA. 2001


went back out----and went through the washing machine 2-3 times.

[Obi-Jong Kenobi]

Well overhead in Maine

[stayalert]

well over head (~6') when I was 11 years old - North of Sidney Aust. I will never forget it.

[Microcosm]

Legit 8' face back in late September, 2003. Was on a 9'4" board. Started the day off in Manasquan, NJ around 6 in the morning for a couple of hours. Was around head-high when the incoming tide started to jack things up a bit. There was a surf contest there that day, and with only two main peaks and tons of people in the water, I headed 20 miles south to Seaside Park (13th Street). Waves were 3-4 feet bigger and more hollowed out. In my 20 years of water experience down there, I've seen bigger but never as rideable as it was that day with west winds at 10 mph.



Below is a recent picture that shows there is no surf in NJ:

Niiiice pic. That's looks sick.
The biggest I've been in was Ernesto the summer before this past one, not as big as that picture though. That was plenty big for me and I didn't get a chance to get into anything bigger this year. One of the guards was saying there were 12ft waves occasionally, but I'm not sure about that one.
I was scared shitless while I was out, but I was only 14 at the time. Hell, I'd still be scared now. I got one wave.


via Surfline

[Random #1]

err... 8ft swell on to a reef (shark island in OZ) been out in bigger but definitely the thickest/heaviest slab ive been on. i guess 2 1/2 X overhead when it jacked up.

i ate it twice that day- still feel the pain/humiliation. the zone is so small out there you cant hide from copping it!

[Hugh Conway]

knee high at mavitola

[rightcoast]

Id say pretty close to double overhead at Pt. Judith RI fall 2004.

[tarkman1]

My friend tells me I dropped in on a 15 foot face at PB Point (north Pacific Beach/South La Jolla in San Diego). It's a good thing that I got that wave because the two the followed would have cleaned me up for sure. I was certainly determined and committed to making that wave.

I remember thinking that the drop was taking a while before I was able to make the bottom turn. The bottom turn went fine and I saw a lot of face in front of me.

[Superstar Punani]

This day stands out


so does the day after that one


And anytime OB looks like this

[willywhit]

Id say pretty close to double overhead at Pt. Judith RI fall 2004.

Rode the inside, Port of Galilee inside, K39 years ago and it was so big that K39 was the only place in RI that you could even paddle out.
The swell would hit the breakwater monster rocks and shoot 30- 40 feet in the air, you could hear the boulders rumbling.

my leash stretched a few feet that day.Easily double overhead and clean

Punani's pics = sweeeet

[fullers2oh]

hey willy i used to surf the K many years ago. anyone remember the perfect storm? it was 1991 october. an ET sent huge waves to RI. it was epic.

i was in RI fall of 2004 for hurricaine jeanne. went home to visit, it was well worth the trip! wasnt the largest RI surf i have seen but definitely up there...

anyway for me largest waves would be one winter in kauai at hanalei. it was big ok? triple-O plus.

the last giant swell here in CA is on the top of the list (but its a long list).

oh yeah had some real big days somewhere in oregon. maybe it was almost as big as hawaii.

[nutcase]

This day stands out

that is a nice wave - and hudge, where is that?


My biggest day is probably 15-18 foot faces at Hollywood in Port Hueneme. Altho I think the wave I rode was on the smaller side of the sets that came in that day. I was definately not comfortable out there

[Sluff]

Head high in Maui two weeks ago. A ripple when compared to other in this thread, but I was stoked.

[Ottime]

Winter 2000, I think. Either two days after Thanksgiving - Point Arena or a year later in January at Scotts Creek. Riding a 8'4" gun both times. I had more reliable witnesses at Scotts. Huge day that day. Plenty of waves in the 15-18 foot face range. One big outside set I caught. Dropped in forever. It was actually quite easy - rode the face for a while and pulled out early. I had no idea what a wave of that size would do when it hit the inside section.

In the channel I was told it was a 25 foot face. I have not gotten into anything more than 15' in the last four years. Skiing has started to take its toll on big wave surfing.

I remember a big swell we had in Cali about 7 years ago. Monterey buoy was 20@20. The swell on Pleasure Point was perpendicular to shore. Got a big one that day, in town, no less.

12 years ago - outside Wells harbor jetty, Maine. Big for Maine - and pretty solid. My last day surfing in Maine as a local.

A few years before that - huge Point Judith. 15 foot plus on the outside break. Not as pretty or lined up as further inside, but no crowds and big drops. Fun waves - long drops, big big bottom turns, wait for the section to set up and then nice long walls.

[Obi-Jong Kenobi]

For me, it was solid double overhead plus Morro Negro (pointbreak) on Lanzarote in the Canaries. I still fondly remember those rights...

[pollard]

I can comfortably say I've ridden head high waves anything over that and I'm just surviving

[skierX]

biggest and scariest i ever saw was hawaii.

biggest and scariest i ever surfed was 5-8 foot hawaiian on south shore of oahu.

wave of equal height on the north shore were way out of my level.

but it is awesome to watch from the beach on a big scary day on the north shore.

[Razorslug]

Actually ridden? or attempted to ride?




I floated in the falls so long, I had already decided "oh that wasn't so bad" long before I ever got buried.