Surf officials have confirmed that a Brazilian surfer broke the world record for the world's biggest wave last year. Koxa’s streaking descent down the massive wall of water set a new official record for the largest wave ever surfed and earned him the prize for biggest wave of the year at the World Surf League Big Wave Awards in Southern California. The group held its Big Wave Awards in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday where judges determined that on November 8, Koxa rode a wave 80 feet (2.38 meters) high, the Associated Press reported. He rode that record-breaking wave in November 2017 in Portugal, beating the previous record of 78-feet set by Garrett McNamara in 2011. The group says it awards “the surfer who, by any means available, catches the biggest wave of the year … not only did Koxa win this year’s honour, but he now holds the Guinness World Record for the biggest wave surfed.”

Koxa described the award as “a dream come true.”

Nazare is on Portugal’s Atlantic coast between Lisbon and Porto.
Brazil surfer Rodrigo Koxa breaks the record for the largest wave ever surfed. The wave occurred off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal and measured 24.4 meters (80 feet).