Surfing is a sport of records and incredible achievements. The passion and commitment showed by surfers and the power of oceans and Nature have transformed surfing into an extreme sport, quite capable of testing the toughest limits of humans.
The Guinness World Records have an interesting number of stunts and accomplishments that are breathtaking and, some, funny at the same time. Who holds the "Most Wins of the Pro Surfing World Championships"? You might get this one right. Correct, Kelly Slater.What is the world record for the "Most Surfboards Stacked on a Car"? The famous book says a group of surfers successfully stacked a total of 282 surfboards on top of the car and drove 30.4 m (100 ft) near Santa Barbara, California, USA. Incredible, isn't it?
What about the "Most People Riding a Surfboard" record? Guinness says 47 surfers simultaneously rode a scaled up surfboard measuring 12 metres (39ft), Snapper Rocks, Queensland, Australia on 5 March 2005. The process was not simple, and the giant surfboard carrying all surfers was towed through the water until being released.
Well, Dale Webster, from USA, must still be tired. He has been surfing every day since 2 September 1975, at least three waves to shore each time, to own the "Most Consecutive Days Surfing" title. Hard to beat.
Did you know that Donald Dettloff, from USA, owns 647 different surfboards? Well, he holds the record for the "Largest Collection of Surfboards". These planks are stored in his property in Haiku, Maui, Hawaii. The modest collection is the result of 15 years of investments. Dettloff used the boards to create a fence. Crazy.
Wearesurfer.net .com reported the record which belongs to Gary Saavedra, from Panama. The national surfing champion confirmed the "Longest Wave Surfed on Open Water": 43.1 miles (66.47 kilometres), on the Panama Canal, in Panama, on the 19th March 2011.
Garrett McNamara, the big wave charger, owns the record for the "Largest Wave Surfed". The stunt was achieved at Praia do Norte, Nazaré, when the Hawaiian surfer rode a 23.7-meter wave face (78 ft) in Portugal.
The "Longest Surfboard" was shaped by Nev Hyman, from Australia, and it is 12 metres (39ft) long, 3 metres (9 ft) wide and 30 centimeters (11.8 in) thick.
Steve King is a lucky man. The British surfer has enjoyed the "Longest Surfing Ride on a River Bore", after traveling, literally, 12.23 kilometres (7.6 miles) in the Severn Bore, on the River Severn, Gloucestershire, UK, on 30 March 2006.
Kurtis Loftus should be tired, too. He has completed the "Longest Surfing Marathon", which lasted 29 hours and one minute, at Jacksonville Beach, Florida, between 26th-27th October 2011.
Now, for a quick surf quiz. Who was the "First Person to Score Two Perfect-10 Rides in Surfing", in the same heat? The correct answer is Kelly Slater, during the final of the 2005 Billabong Tahiti Pro contest, in Teahupoo. The Floridian surfer scoring 20 out of a possible 20. Impressive.
Last question: what is the "Fastest Speed for a Surfboard Towed by a Car"? Layne Beachley got ticketed for driving a surfboard at 78.26 km/h (48.62 mph), at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith, NSW, Australia, on 21st March 2011.
