Australian surfer Laura Enever has set a new world record, going down in history for padding into the largest wave by a woman.
Enever, 31, paddled onto a 43.6 foot (or 13.3-metre) wave at the Outer Reef break on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii in January. She did it without a tow by a jet ski.
It was a significant milestone for women in big wave surfing, a traditionally male-dominated sport. Enever’s paddle broke the previous record for women held by Andrea Moller. Moller had held the record since 2016 and was the first woman to paddle into a wave at Pe’ahi.
Enever was presented with her Guinness World Record this week at her home beach at North Narrabeen in Sydney.
“I knew it was big when I paddled into it,” Enever told the World Surf League (WSL). “When I took off, I looked down, and I knew it was definitely the biggest wave I’ve ever caught.”
“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,” Enever said on Thursday.
Enever spent 7 years as a pro-surfer on the WSL Championship Tour, before she left in 2018 to pursue her love of big wave surfing. She now competes in WSL Big Wave events, continuing to push the limits for what’s possible for women in surfing.
In accepting the Guinness World Record, Enever acknowledged the legacy of women who have come before her in big wave surfing.
“I would never be in this position if it wasn’t for the big wave surfers that have come before me and paved the way, especially the brave, courageous females that have always inspired me and made me feel like i could get out there and give it crack,” Enever said
“I’m just constantly in awe. Andrea Moller who held this record before me, she caught such a bomb at Pe’ahi that day and it’s such an honour to hold that record and keep pushing big wave surfing.
“I know that the next girls, the next generation of female big wave surfers are going to do the same.”