Rodrigo Koxa: former world record, 24.4 m at Nazaré

24.38 mFormer world record

80 ftIn feet

8 Nov 2017Day of the ride

2018XXL Biggest Wave award

Their story

Rodrigo Koxa from Brazil once held the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed. On 8 November 2017 he rode a wave at Praia do Norte measured at 24.38 metres (80 feet), beating Garrett McNamara's mark from 2011. It was the record until Guinness confirmed Sebastian Steudtner's bigger wave from 2020.

Then, on 19 December 2025, aged 46, he did it again. An unofficial measurement put that day's wave at 29.15 metres, which would make it the biggest ever ridden. It won the men's Biggest Wave prize at the 2026 Big Wave Challenge awards, but Guinness hasn't ratified it, so for now it's a claim, not a record.

Koxa has said Nazaré once nearly took his life. His motto, "GoBigger", came out of that.

Best ride

The 24.38 m world record wave, 2017

His 24.38 m world record wave, 8 Nov 2017.

World Surf League

The ocean that day

8 November 2017, offshore of Praia do Norte

4.7 mOffshore swell

16.6 sPeriod

335° NNWDirection (from)

Our formula says: Super giant biggest wave about 21.0 m

The real ride 24.4 m Rodrigo Koxa

Swell from the ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus / ECMWF) at the hour of the ride. Biggest wave = 1.5 × sets, sets = 2.85 × swell × √(period ÷ 15) on this data scale. How we forecast

More legends

France

Justine Dupont

4 wins

Nazaré Big Wave Challenge, women's

USA (Hawaii)

Garrett McNamara

23.8 m

The first giant, 1 Nov 2011

Brazil

Lucas Chianca (Chumbo)

4 wins

The most Nazaré event wins

Brazil

Michelle des Bouillons

Biggest wave

Women's award for her 13 Dec 2025 ride

See the next one live.

One email when giant waves (10 m+) show up in the models, usually 5 to 7 days ahead.

Alert me when it's big

Photos: Walterpeitz (header), CC BY-SA 4.0; Fredodo64 (Justine Dupont), CC BY-SA 4.0; Humor Multishow (Lucas Chianca), CC BY 3.0; Walterpeitz (wave photo), CC BY-SA 4.0; Luis Ascenso (wave photo), CC BY 2.0; Carlos Eduardo Joos (wave photos 1, 2), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.