Did Someone Just Cross The Mythical 100-Foot Wave Threshold?

Last week, 23-year-old Alessandro “Alo” Slebir, a two-time Big Wave Performer of the Year, rode a wave at Mavericks that might break records — if anyone can agree on how to measure it.

The wave, pegged at around 108 feet, came courtesy of a storm off Japan that threw a good old Pacific tantrum right at the Californian coast. Slebir, sitting in Hawaii at the time, didn’t think twice. “It wasn’t a question of whether to go,” he told KSBW.

The footage shows Slebir skimming down a wall of water that looks designed to erase people. “I’ve never felt anything like it,” he said.

As we learned last year, breaking the biggest wave record can be oddly anticlimactic. The hype around “potential” dies fast, and the wait for confirmation? 19 months if you’re lucky.

Sebastian Steudtner, the German surfer many, including blue-collar podcaster Joe Rogan, believed to be the first to ride a 100-foot wave, still holds the record for his 86-footer at Nazaré. But it took the WSL a year and a half to call it.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sebastian ⚡️ Steudtner (@sebastiansurfs)

When we asked the WSL to explain their elongated timeline on making these measurements, they offered this: “The eligibility window is open from April 30, 2023 – April 30, 2024. Submissions will close on April 30, 2024. The WSL Tours and Competition team, and WSL Science team review the submissions over several months. If there is a new World Record, this will be announced around November 2024.” 

Additionally, measuring waves is more pseudo science than precision; ranging from shinbones, to human feet, to supercharged drones; all hinged on the angle of the camera. Whether this wave dethrones Sebastian Steudtner’s 86-foot Nazaré ride is unknown, but rest assured, the decision probably won’t be made any time soon. If it does, though, California might just reclaim the title of world’s biggest wave — bringing bragging rights back to a coastline that’s spent too long without them.