The wave was estimated to be 29.67 metres or 97.3 feet in height, exceeding fellow Brazilian Rodrigo Coxa’s wave in 2017 which peaked at 24.38 metres (79.98 feet). However, the measurements of Chumbo’s wave are unofficial and still undergoing scrutiny to confirm if it was the biggest wave ever surfed.
The 26-year-old was an aspiring pro junior with ambitions to qualify for the CT. His goals radically changed when he surfed the notorious Hawaiian wave, Jaws, in 2015. Since that day, he has only had one focus, chasing the biggest waves in the world.
Fast forward to 2022, and Chumbo has fulfilled his destiny, surfing what could prove to be the biggest wave ever. Around the 2:50 minute mark in the video above, the potential world record holder descends the nearly 100 foot face. Chumbo, who stands at 6’3”, appears as a speck slaloming down the mountain face, navigating his way to the channel before an avalanche of white wash nearly swallows him.
Take a close look into this historical day and get a behind the scenes window into Chumbo’s mindset and preparation before he jumped into the surf at Nazaré.
The big wave prodigy is only 26 and will be hunting the next 100-foot-wave around the world, determined to take the sport into the unridden realm.
