May 1 (UPI) -- A surfer who rode an 80-foot-tall wave in Portugal has been awarded the Guinness World Record for largest wave surfed.
Rodrigo Koxa was recognized Saturday by the World Surf League with the Quiksilver XXL Biggest Wave award after his Nov. 8, 2017, run at Nazare, Portugal, was caught on video.
Guinness World Records announced after the award presentation that Koxa was being recognized as the holder of the largest wave surfed (unlimited) record.
"I've tried to surf big waves all my life and I had a huge experience in 2014 where I almost died at Nazare," Koxa said. "Four months later, I had bad dreams, I didn't travel, I got scared and my wife helped me psychologically."
"Now, I'm just so happy and this is the best day of my life. Thank you to WSL, it's a dream come true," he said.
U.S. surfer Pete Cabrinha set the previous record in 2014, when he surfed a 70-foot wave on the North Shore of Maui, Hawaii.
