The record-keeping agency is acknowledging a 44-year-old Hawaii surfer for riding a 78-foot wave off the coast of Portugal, saying the November run beats a 2008 record by more than 1 foot.
Big-wave surfer Garrett McNamara from Oahu's North Shore tells The Associated Press the record is a fluke because he didn't even want to surf the day he caught the massive wave.
McNamara says he changed his mind at the urging of friends and felt things come together once he got on the board.
The official record comes after McNamara won $15,000 for the ride at the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards in California last week.
