Brazilian man rides monster 80-foot wave into record book

In this photo taken Nov. 8, 2017, Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa rides what has been judged the biggest wave ever surfed, at the Praia do Norte in Nazare, Portugal. (Pedro Cruz/AP)

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The Associated Press

May 1, 2018 - 5:53 am

Updated May 1, 2018 - 6:28 am

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — A Brazilian surfer rode a monster wave off Portugal to set a world record.

The World Surf League says its judges determined that a wave Rodrigo Koxa surfed at Nazare, Portugal, on Nov. 8 reached a height of 80 feet (24.38 meters). The previous mark was by American Garrett McNamara in 2011 — 78 feet (23.77 meters).

Koxa calls the award as “a dream come true.”

The league announced the record Saturday at its Big Wave Awards in Santa Monica, California. The group says it awards the surfer who “by any means available catches the biggest wave of the year.”

Nazare is on Portugal’s Atlantic coast between Lisbon and Porto.

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