Surfers unite for new record


The 14-strong team included the cream of British surfers
A 14-strong team has surfed into the world record books by riding a wave on a single giant surfboard in Cornwall.
Tuesday's record bid was held at St Ives, on a 37-feet board weighing 400lb.

On their fourth attempt the team of 12 men and two women stood up and surfed into shore together, setting the first official world record for the most people riding a single board.

The team included the cream of British surfers, as well as an Australian and three South Africans.

Britain's surf champion Alan Stokes, 22, said riding the two feet wave with his team was not easy.

'Big effort'

"That board will catch almost any wave that breaks.

"To get our coordination right was pretty difficult because everyone is trying to balance.

"It was a big effort and everyone did really well," he said.

The fibreglass board - officially the longest in the world - set an unofficial record when it was first used by a team of 12 people at its launch in Cornwall in 1999.

A New Zealand team went one better and managed to get 13 people riding a wave on one board.

The giant longboard was created by team member Tim Mellors at Custard Point boards in Newquay.

It will now go back on display at the town's Longboard House shop.

Photographs of the event will be sent for independent verification before the team can be entered in the Guinness Book of Records.

Tuesday's successful record attempt comes after an attempt at Lusty Glaze beach in north Cornwall was abandoned last week because the waves were too big
(from the bbc)

Thats just silly!!!

Al.

I know, just look that board has got far too much rocker and the rails should be thinner !

It reminds me of dodgy family parties and 'The Locomotion'!!



Sal.

How long did they actually have to 'surf' the wave for in order to get in the record books.... It hardly looks as though they were on the wave really....

Joner.

they managed about 1.2 seconds I believe......

Thats pathetic!! OK, so its just a publicity stunt really, but 1.2 seconds is hardly 'riding a wave', they could have kept moving forwards for that long just from paddling....

Don't tell me, they didn't paddle, they were 'towed in'.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a killjoy and I'm sure its more difficult than it looks, but it isn't really surfing a wave is it?

Joner

Its a valid point, but where should the line be drawn? 5 seconds, 10M........ 3 waves of more than 5 secconds/10M during a 24 hour period???????

it may have escaped your notice but it was a 37 foot long board weighing 400lbs in small wind blown surf, what exactly do you expect a board that size to do ?

thats kinda what I was saying....where do you draw the line between sucess and failure on something that has never been done before. Theere probably does have to be a mark, but where shoudl it be? We can't expect them to take the thing out in a monster swell....or can we

quote:

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Originally posted by Joner
Don't tell me, they didn't paddle, they were 'towed in'.

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