Sebastian Steudtner
Germany
German big-wave surfer Sebastian Steudtner rode a 28.57-meter (approximately 94-foot) wave in Nazare, Portugal, in 2024, setting the world record. Nazare's unique undersea canyon generates the largest waves on Earth, making it the mecca of big-wave surfing. A 28.57-meter wave is roughly the height of an eight-story building, and riding it tests a surfer's skill, courage, and physical limits in equal measure. Steudtner also broke his own previous record, cementing his place at the forefront of the discipline.