A new world record has been set in the world of surfing, and no, it is not in the realm of big waves. Rather, it’s of the small, stationary wave variety – and an unfathomable length of time spent sashaying horizontally across a standing ripple of water.
Maximilian Neuböck, an Austrian wave-rider, recently broke the Guinness World Record for “longest time spent surfing a wave (male)” at The RiverWave, dubbed “Europe’s biggest artificial river wave.” How long did Neuböck spend surfing the standing wave? A thigh-crippling 8 hours, 5 minutes, and 44 seconds.
During his record-breaking surf – which he completed without taking any breaks; no bathroom, no nothing – Neuböck can be seen slurping a bowl of soup, chomping a slice of pizza, theragunning his thighs, and sipping Red Bull.
According to Guinness:
“It wasn’t until he was over eight hours into his ride that the surfer felt confident enough in his win that he returned to shore – and in a jubilant (and slightly exhausted) manner he cut the board back to the dock and flipped off the side into the water, splashing and shouting with excitement.”
Now, the record is said to beat a previous one, although there are slight differences. In 2011, Gary Saavedra is credited by Guinness for the “longest open water wave surfed (male).” Saavedra rode a boat wake in the Panama Canal for 43.1 miles, lasting 3 hours, 55 minutes, and 02 seconds.
It’s just another one of the weird, super niche records that Guinness acknowledges. Add it to the list, like, “fastest time to assemble Mr. Potato Head blindfolded” (12.11 seconds), “fastest 5 meters on a skateboard by a cat” (12.85 seconds), and “most Big Macs consumed in a lifetime” (26,000).
Related: 97-Foot World Record Wave Surfed at Nazaré, Study Claims
As for the more significant surfing-related records, Sebastian Steudtner still holds the title for the largest wave surfed – an 86-footer from Nazaré, Portugal in 2020. Since then, many more contenders have rolled in, but few have been officially verified. That could change in the near future, though, as recently, the World Surf League handed over its role as official verifier of big waves to Bill Sharp and the Big Wave Challenge.
Nonetheless, Neuböck did achieve something here. Eight hours straight standing on a surfboard is no easy feat; I can barely last the five minutes it takes me to fry an egg.
Related: Kite Surfing 1,567ft High, World Record Smashed (Video)