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Jeff Rowley scores big wave ride at Albatross
Author: SurferToday.com
The historic ride immediately entered the Australian Oakley Big Wave Awards and the in the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards in the "Biggest Wave" category. Watch Rowley's big wave, here.
"This is the biggest swell I’ve ever seen hit the Australian coastline," Rowley said. "It's just crazy out there. We were miles out to sea. There was this giant Albatross swooping at my head".
Jeff was towed in by his brother Chris in what was considered an unsurfable day at Albatross. Rowley described surfing the monster wave as an "unbelievable feeling."
"The wave was so angry. It was like riding a five storey building at 80 kilometres an hour. I have waited so long to surf this place. I hardly slept a wink last night. The waves were shaking the whole house. This is the best day ever", adds Jeff.
"I could see the wave coming a mile off, just this black line swallowing the horizon. I yelled out to my brother to put me really deep. When I felt the wave pick me up underneath my feet, I let go of the rope and was 100% committed from that point on. I was on autopilot, flying down this wave and totally focused on making the drop".
"Taking the drop took forever. As the wave was jacking up I could feel its crazy power through my whole body, it gave me the biggest adrenalin rush."
But Jeff wants more. "It’s definitely one of the biggest waves I’ve ever seen, but I want to ride a wave twice as big and I’m on the hunt."
Twice means a 100 foot wave, a ride that has always been chased but has never been surfed in the history of the sport. The biggest wave ever surfed in Australia belonged to Mark Matthews. In 2008, he rode a 14-metre wave at Cow Bombie in Western Australia.
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