What happened
Surfers gathered at Great Western Beach in Newquay to try to set a world record for the most people riding a single wave for at least five seconds. Conditions were close to ideal, but the best try managed 93 riders, below the record of 110 held in South Africa.
- The record needs every rider on the same wave for five seconds or more.
- The best Newquay attempt counted 93 surfers.
- The world record of 110 was set in South Africa.
The Swell Otter take
Ninety-three people on one wave is chaos with a capital C, and anyone who has surfed Fistral on a sunny August Saturday will tell you Newquay has the practice. Riders drifting into each other is the hard part: a beachbreak wave doesn't peel neatly along a reef, so the line falls apart before the five seconds are up.
Great Western is a sensible pick. It sits tucked under the cliffs, so it stays smaller and more sheltered than Fistral round the corner. For a second go, wait for a small, long-period swell and a light offshore, which in Newquay means a southerly to south-easterly breeze, so the wave stays soft and slow enough for a crowd to stay upright. We'd back them to get there.
Breaks in this story
How we write the news: we read the original story, sum it up in our own words and add our view. The facts are theirs, so please read the full piece at the source. Spotted a mistake? Email hello@swellotter.com.
Tom Otto
Tom Otto built Swell Otter, the free surf forecast for the UK, and writes its spot guides. Every guide is checked against years of wave, wind and sea temperature history for the break, so the advice matches the numbers and not just the postcards.
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