October 03, 2009 06:00pm
THIS towering wall of water off WA is the biggest wave surfed in Australia this year.
That's the claim of Mark Visser, the man who conquered the 11m monster at a secret location in WA's south this week.``The weather was unbearable out there,'' Visser said. ``It was very windy, around 30 knots. Along with the wind, the water was icy cold. So cold that my feet ended up going numb.
``But I reckon that was the biggest wave surfed in Australia this year. I haven't seen one bigger.''
The waves were surfed at an offshore break nicknamed Cowbombie, about 2.5km off Gracetown. Cowbombie is gaining a reputation as one of the hot spots for big-wave surfing, attracting Australian and international daredevils.
Surfers from around the world flew in for the session, including big-wave specialists Grant
``Twiggy'' Baker, Doug Young and Ross Clark Jones.
Visser flew in from his home on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
``I heard about the big swell on Wednesday morning and we arrived in Perth on Wednesday night,'' Visser said.
``On Thursday we got these monster waves. It was pretty wild out there.
``We then backed it up on Friday, hoping it might be bigger.
``The waves weren't as big, around 25 foot. I went in with a paddle board, but got smashed a few times.''
Cowbombie has legendary status among surfers and its location is a closely guarded secret.
