Brazil sets Earthwave record with 84 surfers on one wave
Brazil's 84 persons-on-one-wave : photo courtesy Earthwave
Brazil sets World and Earthwave records with 84 surfers on one wave
Earthwave Brazil eclipsed the Guinness World Record for the ‘most surfers riding one wave simultaneously’ when 84 surfers successfully rode a wave at Quebra Mar in Santos on Sunday, overtaking the 71 set in Cape Town earlier in the day and smashing the existing record of 44.
“Well done Santos, you have broken the world record,” said Brazilian surfing legend Rico de Souza and organiser of Earthwave Brazil when announcing the total after consulting photographs with the adjudicators of the Guinness World Record organisation at the event.
“And more important than the new mark, you have drawn massive attention to the problem of Global Warming and what can be done to combat climate change – the theme of the worldwide Earthwave project.”
The record breaking attempt was made during the Earthwave Festival de Surf Ecorodovias, a three day festival of wave-riding events that featured a professional longboarding surfing contest, outrigger canoe paddling and demonstrations of stand up paddling, the latest discipline of surfing that is sweeping the world.
Sponsored by Ecorodivias, one of Brazil’s largest road concession companies, the event was attended by the Mayor of Santos, the top management of the company, celebrities from Brazil’s movie industry and sporting heroes like event ambassador Picuruta Salazar.
“What a fantastic achievement by Rico, the Earthwave Brazil participants, the sponsors and the City of Santos to nearly double the record,” said Paul Botha who, along with his son Dene from the Kahuna Surfing Academy in Cape Town, created the Earthwave Global Surf Challenge that ran in seven countries on Sunday.
“Earthwave and its ‘call to action’ on adopting a more sustainable lifestyle to combat the climate crisis is up and running worldwide. Thanks to the enthusiastic efforts of the six organisations that joined in the first edition we are now looking forward to every country with a coastline joining us in promoting this cause on the first Sunday in September every year.”
The efforts of other countries participating in the inaugural edition of Earthwave were plagued by the vagaries of the surf and weather with England posting the next highest total of 31 from 120 participants at Polzeath, Australia declaring their intentions to break the record with a huge event in 2008, Reunion’s attempt on the women only record stymied by the predicted three metre swell and the Tahiti event wiped out entirely an unseasonal cyclone with gale-force winds and teeming rain.
Argentina are yet to report on their event but the waves were said to very small so it looks likely that the inaugural Earthwave award for the most surfers on a wave is likely to go to Brazil with Cape Town picking up the award for the most participants. The award for the organisation donating the most money to environmental causes will only be decided once all the events have finalised their finances.
A more detailed release on all seven events will be issued later this week. In the interim see earthwave2007.com for updates and images from the events as they are received.
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