Garrett McNamara Sets New World Record for Largest Wave Ever Surfed

Recognized as one of the top elite big wave paddle surfers and towsurfers in the world today, G-Mac is known for many things in surfing.

Snap from video of G-Mac riding the biggest wave ever.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Garrett McNamara has set a new world record for the largest wave ever surfed. A household name in the surfing community and one of the kindest and most insightful pro surfers I've ever interviewed, 'G-Mac' was towed into a rogue wave in Portugal, at the North Canyon, that was estimated to be 90 feet in height (30 yards of wave).

Impressive barely begins to describe it.

Our writer Roger Butow in Laguna Beach sent the word of this, I've contacted Garrett for more reactions and we will deliver that in another article.

Recognized as one of the top elite big wave paddle surfers and towsurfers in the world today, G-Mac is known for many things in surfing and he has been for many years. He also is no stranger to Oregon where a reef break in Lincoln City breaks in world class form each winter, almost always topping 30-feet.

Surfer Garrett McNamara- biggest wave ever!

Knowing what a performer he is in real life, I can only imagine what this must have looked like in person; three times the size of anything I've seen here!

G-Mac surfs every year in Oregon's Nelscott Big Wave Tow-in Classic, he has held the title of World Cup Tow-In Champ and Garret has also won many awards and titles ranging from 1st - 4th place in the past ten years.

Salem-News.com readers are accustomed to the adventures of our very own big wave rider, Eric Akiskalian, who has been a friend of Garrett's for many years. Salem-News.com conducted a fantastic interview with this world pro last year about a wave I videotaped Eric riding that was entered in the 2010 Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards.

Check out the massive wave by clicking on the video below, and I have included links to stories about Oregon surfing that include references and interview segments with G-Mac, the man who has set a record that is going to be very hard to top.

• Feb-02-2010: Oregon Massive Wave Enters Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards
• Oct-23-2009: Nelscott Classic Surf Contest: Great Conditions and 25+ Foot Waves
• Oct-31-2008: Nelscott Reef Surf Contest in Lincoln City Sees Seasonal Setback
• Oct-03-2007: Holding Period for Oregon's Biggest Surf Contest Begins

Learn more about G-Mac by visiting his Website: garrettmcnamara.com/blog/

More surfing stories from our archives:

• Oct-15-2011: 'Big-Wave Addicts' Debuts on YouTube's TowsurferNetwork
• May-11-2011: 51-Year-Old Santa Barbara Native, Eric Akiskalian Amongst Elite Nominees and Winners
• Mar-09-2011: Marcio Freire Interview: Maui's Underground Big-Wave Charger
• Jan-09-2011: Oregon Big-Wave Crew Charges Into 2011
• Oct-27-2010: Late Season Southern Hemisphere Delivers Big Swell to Chile - Eric Akiskalian for Salem-News.com
• May-28-2010: Charging the Big Swells in the Earthquake Land: Chile

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Tim King: Salem-News.com Editor and Writer

Tim King has more than twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. In addition to his role as a war correspondent, this Los Angeles native serves as Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. Tim spent the winter of 2006/07 covering the war in Afghanistan, and he was in Iraq over the summer of 2008, reporting from the war while embedded with both the U.S. Army and the Marines. Tim is a former U.S. Marine.

Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing, including the Silver Spoke Award by the National Coalition of Motorcyclists (2011), Excellence in Journalism Award by the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs (2010), Oregon AP Award for Spot News Photographer of the Year (2004), First-place Electronic Media Award in Spot News, Las Vegas, (1998), Oregon AP Cooperation Award (1991); and several others including the 2005 Red Cross Good Neighborhood Award for reporting. Tim has several years of experience in network affiliate news TV stations, having worked as a reporter and photographer at NBC, ABC and FOX stations in Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. Tim was a member of the National Press Photographer's Association for several years and is a current member of the Orange County Press Club.

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