Laird Hamilton is the Godfather of tow-in surfing. He pioneered it with friends in Hawaii using small, inflatable boats to tow each other into waves that were too big and too fast to paddle into.
Eventually Laird and crew refined their techniques and began using jet skis to tow each other into enormous waves. You’ve likely seen Laird Hamilton towing into and surfing enormous waves in Maui at Jaws (if not, check out the video below).
video of Laird towing into big waves all over the world (7+ million views)
Laird’s word in the tow-in surfing world is law.
Laird just had an interview today with CNN where he states that Carlos Burle’s potentially world record 100-foot wave surfed in Portugal on Monday doesn’t count because Carlos wiped out on the wave. Carlos did. Before he finished the ride, the wave’s whitewater caught up to him and ate him alive.
In Laird’s opinion, that means the wave doesn’t count. But, Laird did say that Carlos can say he wiped out on the largest waves ever ridden.
Laird also goes on to say that Maya Gabiera shouldn’t have been out there in those waves and that she doesn’t have the skill set to be there. Maya was pulled from the water unconscious after nearly drowning on Monday during the big waves in Portugal. She was successfully resuscitated and survived.
What do you think? Does Carlos’ 100-foot wave count or not?
video of Carlos Burles’ estimated 100-foot wave in Portugal on Monday. skip to 3:15.
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Lairds been in incredibly dangerous places so don’t even go there about Nazare the Carlos Burle wave if you want to be splitting hairs yeah it’s probably not a record but that doesn’t take anything from what he did as far her that a was a near thing if she wants she’ll get it we’ll see it’s all training
Laird’s right. Maya shouldn’t have been out there. She wasn’t ready in my humble opinion.
I think it counts. Wether he wiped out on it or not he still road it.
I respect his opinion but i don’t have to agree…If he did know what beach his talking about, he should know that Nazaré have the biggest submarine canyon ending in a beach. So the volume that he is talking about, there in Nazaré is bigger than in any other beach surfed until today. In the Carlos Burle wave didn’t exist a safe area, it was full tide. So he could ride the wave to reach the sandy beach (impossible with such mass) or go straight to the rocks (and die…)! I would like to see him in Nazaré instead of talking in his sofa about breaks that he clearly don’t have any knowledge to talk about!
A pure and sincere feeling of jealousy made by the old and retired Laird Hamilton! If Carlos wave was riden by him in exactly the same way, Laird’s speech would be the opposite… More surfing and less jealousy waterman!
she just won 5 of the last 6 big wave ride contests, and besides, she rode that wave sucessfully 5 days before she fell, a wave full of bumps like no one ever seem before, man or woman. it was the hardest ride i ever seen and it was made by a woman. deal with that boys.
Having no background in surfing, I’d give it to him.
It’ll be interesting to see what Guinness says.
He’s right, Carlos didn’t make the wave and Maya shouldn’t have been there.