Michelle des Bouillons wants the wave she rode at Nazaré on December 13, 2025, recognised as the biggest ever surfed by a woman. An independent technical report puts it at 24.99 meters (82 ft), and the Brazilian is now putting together her own application to Guinness World Records.
If it is accepted, it would beat the current women's record, Maya Gabeira's 22.4 m (73.5 ft), also at Nazaré, by more than two and a half meters. For now, though, 24.99 m is a measurement, not an official record.
Michelle des Bouillons and the record at a glance
Surfer: Michelle des Bouillons, from Rio de Janeiro, towed in by her partner Ian Cosenza
Wave: Praia do Norte, Nazaré, Portugal, on December 13, 2025, during the WSL's Nazaré big-wave event
Measured height: 24.99 m (82 ft), in a report by analyst Paulo Vinicius Lopes
Record to beat: Maya Gabeira, 22.4 m (73.5 ft), Nazaré, 2020
Award: Women's Biggest Wave at the 2026 Big Wave Challenge, presented on September 19 in Newport Beach, California
Status: not yet recognised. Guinness still lists Gabeira as the record holder
How the 82-foot wave was measured
Nobody holds a tape measure to a 25-meter wave. Big-wave heights are worked out from photos and video after the fact, and that is where most of the arguments start.
Lopes went through the footage frame by frame, using a known part of Michelle's body, her shin, as a scale, and measured the wave face from its trough to its crest against it. It is the same analyst who worked on Rodrigo Koxa's 2017 record wave at Nazaré.
Michelle's file for Guinness includes:
Lopes's technical report
Footage of the wave from three different angles
Letters of support from the big-wave community
Legal representation, since she is still working out the process and the fees of a direct application
Big Wave Challenge 2026: an award is not a record
The Big Wave Challenge, the WSL's annual awards for the season's best rides, named Michelle the winner of Women's Biggest Wave at the Lido Theater in Newport Beach on September 19. It is her second win in the category, after 2024, and her third year in a row as a finalist.
That award ranks the season's waves against each other. It does not give an official height, and it does not make a world record. Earlier this year her file went to Guinness and to Bill Sharp, the creator of the Big Wave Challenge, with a decision expected by September. The award came; the record did not. So Michelle is now applying to Guinness directly.
Her argument is simple. As she put it to The Inertia: "In a race, if you go half a second faster than the record, you break the record."
Biggest waves ever surfed: Maya Gabeira's record and the rest
Every official biggest-wave record of the last 15 years has been set in the same place: Praia do Norte, Nazaré.
| Surfer | Height | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Steudtner (GER) | 26.21 m (86 ft) | 2020 | Men's world record |
| Michelle des Bouillons (BRA) | 24.99 m (82 ft) | 2025 | Claim, under review |
| Rodrigo Koxa (BRA) | 24.38 m (80 ft) | 2017 | Former record |
| Garrett McNamara (USA) | about 24 m (78 ft) | 2011 | Former record |
| Maya Gabeira (BRA) | 22.4 m (73.5 ft) | 2020 | Women's world record |
Gabeira, who retired from big-wave surfing in early 2025, set her mark in February 2020. If Michelle's wave is recognised, the women's record stays in Brazilian hands, just with a new name on it.
Why Nazaré's giant waves get so big
Nazaré is not the only place in the Atlantic that gets huge swell. What makes it different is the Nazaré Canyon, a gorge in the seabed about 230 km long and up to about 5,000 m deep, the largest submarine canyon in Europe. It runs straight towards the beach and ends just off Praia do Norte.
Three things happen as a big swell arrives:
No braking over deep water. Swell that runs up the canyon stays in deep water almost to the shore, so it loses very little energy to the seabed on the way in.
Energy bent towards one beach. Swell on either side of the canyon slows down in the shallower water and bends. The bend points it at Praia do Norte, where it meets the swell coming up the canyon.
Waves stacking on waves. Where those trains of swell cross, their peaks add together. A current running along the beach pushes against the incoming waves and helps them stand up even taller.
That is why the wave faces at the peak can be several times the swell height a model shows offshore.
Nazaré surf forecast this week
The big-wave season at Nazaré usually runs from October to March, when North Atlantic storms send long-period northwest swell towards Portugal. The start of this season looks active, but not giant:
| Day | Wave (max) | Direction | Period | Wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Sep 30 | 2.7 m | W | 11 s | westerly, up to 21 km/h |
| Thu, Oct 1 | 3.2 m | WNW | 15 s | northerly, up to 24 km/h |
| Fri, Oct 2 | 3.4 m | NW | 15 s | light northerly, up to 10 km/h |
| Sat, Oct 3 | 2.4 m | NW | 11 s | northeasterly, up to 13 km/h |
| Sun, Oct 4 | 1.4 m | NW | 10 s | light northeasterly |
This is the numerical model for the water off Praia do Norte, and it changes with every run. Remember what the canyon does: a 3.4 m, 15-second swell on Friday can mean much bigger faces at the peak. For the hour-by-hour data, see the Praia do Norte surf forecast.
FAQ
Who is Michelle des Bouillons?
A big-wave surfer from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who has spent about a decade towing into Nazaré with her partner Ian Cosenza. She won Women's Biggest Wave at the Big Wave Challenge in 2024 and again in 2026.
What is the biggest wave ever surfed by a woman?
Officially, Maya Gabeira's 22.4 m (73.5 ft) wave at Nazaré in 2020, recognised by Guinness World Records. Michelle des Bouillons's 24.99 m wave from December 2025 would be bigger, but it has not been recognised yet.
What is the biggest wave ever surfed?
The official record belongs to Germany's Sebastian Steudtner, with 26.21 m (86 ft) at Nazaré in October 2020.
Has Michelle des Bouillons broken the world record?
Not officially. She won Women's Biggest Wave at the 2026 Big Wave Challenge, but that award gives no official height. She is now preparing a direct application to Guinness World Records with a technical report, video from three angles and letters of support.
When will Guinness decide?
There is no date yet. Michelle is preparing a direct application to Guinness World Records, and Guinness has not announced a timeline for the review.
Why are Nazaré's waves so big?
Because of the Nazaré Canyon, an underwater gorge about 230 km long and up to 5,000 m deep that ends just off Praia do Norte. It lets swell reach the beach with almost no loss of energy and focuses it onto one spot.
When is the big-wave season at Nazaré?
Usually from October to March, when North Atlantic storms send long-period swell towards Portugal. The biggest days tend to come between November and February.
Going to Nazaré?
Whether you are going to watch from the lighthouse or to surf, check the Praia do Norte surf forecast first. On big days, the town beach, Praia da Nazaré, and the sheltered bay at São Martinho do Porto are far calmer options.
Cover photo: waves at Praia do Norte, by the Nazaré lighthouse, by Luís Ascenso, CC BY 3.0.
.jpeg){kind=link}