Requesting psychoanalyst to explain why I find this article so compelling. (Just joking.) I am fascinated by feats that make their way into the Guinness World Records, especially when they have something to do with the ocean. Panama’s Gary Saavedra—“intent on discovering his limitations”—surfed a wave created by a boat moving through the Panama Canal for 3 hours, 55 minutes and two seconds, spanning a distance of 41.3 miles. Here are excerpts with a link to the full article below:
The 13-time national surfing champion set Guinness World Records for longest time and distance surfed on open water. (England’s Steve King had held the time record: 1 hour, 6 minutes, set while riding a tidal bore wave in 2006. The distance record is new.)
Saavedra, who traversed through choppy water and was rocked constantly by the wakes of giant freighters, said afterward: “This record feels incredible. I had never confronted these conditions and to surpass all these challenges and establish two Guinness records is the biggest achievement of my professional career so far.” Saavedra [. . .] had hoped for a much longer ride but a severe thigh spasm forced him to abandon his quest. “After the third hour, my body was very tired,” he said. “I almost fell eight times. In the first hour, I worked very hard and used all my energy. The weather was harsh … I had never trained in such conditions.”
For article and video clip, see http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/25265/surfer+rides+wave+for+an+astonishing+413+miles+in+panama+canal/
