64 Foot Wave - Mike Parsons At Jaws Beach, Hawaii

Mike Parsons (born March 13, 1965, in California) is an american professional surfer and surfing coach.
Parsons was raised in Laguna Beach, California and began surfing when he was six-years-old. In 1983, he earned second place in the Junior Division of the United States Surfing Championships.
In 2001, Parsons was towed into a 66-foot wave at Cortes Bank, CA, for which he was awarded $66,000 the highest prize ever awarded in the history of professional surfing. This money was awarded by the Billabong XXL competition which paid tribute to the biggest waves ridden each year. Parsons also surfed a 64-foot wave during competition at the Jaws break on the north shore of Maui. It was filmed by helicopter and used as the opening scene of the 2003 film Billabong Odyssey. A usually uncredited clip of this sequence has gone on to become a viral video, attributed to a number of different surfers, locations, and in many cases, a Tsunami.
Parsons later broke his record on January 5, 2008, at Cortes Bank, when he was photographed surfing a wave that the Billabong XXL judged to be 77 feet, which put him in the Guinness Book of World Records, officially, for biggest wave ever surfed. Nearly 4 years later Garrett McNamara improved on this record with a 78-foot wave off Nazaré, Portugal on November 1, 2011.
In 2011, Parsons became the full-time coach for surfer Kolohe Andino.
On January 20, 2013, Parsons suffered a broken C7 vertebra in his neck and nearly drowned while surfing triple-overhead surf at Ocean Beach, a beach break in San Francisco, California. Parsons was able to return to surfing four months later.
Parsons was inducted into the Surfer's Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach, California in 2008.

[@drdellaman]

A great example of something I want to watch someone else do.

[@JeffJefferson]

drdellaman I’m crying

[@mauriciomartinez5744]

@@theultimatecoffeetable6883 is something that we want to watch someone else do!!!!!!!

[@ploopybear]

@Tom Wetz big brain pun

[@kefkapalazzo1]

Alexander Supertramp correct next if I’m wrong, but are you saying watching someone do something too dangerous/difficult for that person to do, theyre a “pathetic creep?”

[@ploopybear]

@@kefkapalazzo1 the question is, who's Franky and why did he delete his reply?

[@phillipsteiner3581]

One of the greatest big wave rides of all time, period.

[@SJQuirke]

A classic - a keeper - incredible ride and great coverage

[@wolfofrhodeislandx7462]

Absolutely🤙🤙🤙🤙

[@waynehearst317]

and then you watch Nazare, 2020....

[@NoOne-qr8yf]

Wich time period?

[@posternutbag4415]

@@waynehearst317 Jaws still the nastiest wave in the world to surf

[@clairehart9639]

my guy straight up surfed a tsunami

[@haroldfelsen233]

Claire Hart dead ass bro

[@maze95]

Check out nazare

[@joshual.7736]

2018 Ride of the Year at Nazare: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIXKcqR-brJ4m8k

[@joshual.7736]

@Jimbob1708, tsunamis are smaller but they last for a long time.

[@free-energy-systems]

@@joshual.7736 While true, this is about riding the North Shore. I've heard that's the only place that gets these waves. They're not very common but when an event happens, it's like the movie Point Break. Kind of what makes it special and surviving it even better. Stay cool :)

[@robertstorey7476]

at one point you think the wave's got him but no he just appears and rides straight out ahead of the foam. awesome.

[@mynmhsnvwls1124]

It is scary at first, but then it feels like you control the waves

[@robwright1286]

@@mynmhsnvwls1124 Not sure about that, you have to seriously respect those waves in the Pacific or you can easily die. Parson is just really experienced and so very confident.

[@NeoZeta]

It got him in the end, though. But the wave was already slain.

[@sldaley5692]

Hats off to the video crew, also! Besides being an amazing ride on an amazing wave, the drone operator NAILED it! Simply beautiful.

[@thejonegcle7759]

or was it a helicopter crew ? ... but. yeah, excellent capture of the immense wave & incredible ride

[@somercet1]

A chopper.

[@ericstandefer9138]

Not only massive 60 ft, but perfect form and tube as well. What a lifetime experience.

[@louie99999]

I've been watching this clip for years and I still get goose bumps. I really like when Mike Parsons and Brad Gerlach are riding in after the wave and all of the other surfers are just stoked and smiling from ear to ear. A beautiful ride on a beautiful wave!!

[@Maxx61]

You can throw the saying "they put their pants on the same way you do" right out the f'ng window. Respect.

[@IRHasDiabetes911]

He puts his pants on both legs at a time. He just jumps right into them.

[@l21n18]

Why?

[@wiscgaloot]

Guy was 51 when this was filmed. How many people can be that hardcore when they are over 50?

[@bluemystic7501]

@Fire Stryker Nah, I think what it comes down to is that age gives one an honest understanding of what they're actually capable of. And on top of that, one probably needs 40 years of surfing experience to actually pull THIS off.

[@bluemystic7501]

@Knowles I'm sure there are! Young and dumb, but also strong. lol

[@travelingintime6460]

Wtf really?

[@guillermosobrevilla8614]

Check on Kelly Slater his 48 and still a Champ...

[@ngangamhaolai4058]

Bruh u look like Johnny sins

[@alistaireleigh4243]

I have never surfed but I can appreciate the dedication, skill and bravery required to be this mental.

[@rmarty550]

My favorite surf clip ever.

[@youdoyouplayer8529]

Arguably one of the best shot rides starting @:50

[@raiospartaonick]

Everyone :Jaws has huge waves Nazare : Hold my Beer !

[@williamrusson8974]

Bruno Silva their both hu mangoose!!!

[@williamrusson8974]

I speak very gooderer zingilsh

[@tellmewhyfirst]

Nazare: Hold my beer! Mavericks: I'm already drunk.

[@prodbyDxv]

Mohammed Ibrahim nazare is bigger, mavericks is deadlier, Teahupoo is deadliest

[@carlmarks8170]

Jaws is the best big wave. It holds massive swell like Nazare, Cortes and Mavericks, but produces a more perfect wave under max conditions. It gives those who charge it a much longer ride and even produces perfect monster barrels for those who are ballsy enough to pull in

[@lizarrrdbeth]

OMG that was the coolest thing I've ever seen!!! Hellz yes and to Agent Orange...holy crap!!! The BALLS on that guy!

[@phillipsteiner3581]

Ride of a lifetime!! Great surfer, period.

[@cristinagarciacalvomurga4665]

never tire of watching this

[@riproar11]

I can't imagine how terrifying this feels. I body surfed at Sandy Beach, Oahu, Hawaii where the waves were so large that you saw people through the water before the pipeline of waves crashed. I was thrown about and pulled under water so many times and even got some cuts. My brother and I eventually called it quits when we were bruised and our necks hurt.

[@alexig1245]

last year I went to Hawaii with friends and we were at this beach with huge waves, all of us were skim boarding and my friend fell and his skim board went into the ocean and a wave shot it right back to my kneecaps. it was painful

[@someguy5035]

Sandy has more injuries than all the other beaches on Oahu - combined. I love it there. The element of danger makes it more fun. Right around the corner, Makapu'u gets crazy sometimes as well.

[@dilberta6046]

Beautiful. Great camerawork, too!

[@Iffy50]

Thumbs up for a comprehensively documented and complete version! This video has been going the rounds on KZbin for more than a decade with people spouting off bad information about who it is, where it is, or if it was made with a video editor.

[@TheVanillatech]

That guy was like soooo pitted just came down "WHABAAM" like cruised out of the dome like "SHwooooooSH!" man ... awesome.

[@raimondaspoleti4202]

FANTASTIC PHOTOGRAFY AND PRODUCTION 🔝👏SUPER SURFING GREAT TOO🏄🔝👏

[@douglastaylor8285]

Outstanding footage and Mike Parsons Rips...Excellent !!

[@jimmyconn7314]

So very well executed by Brad and mike,Frick how big are his balls to keep going over the ledge! HS to be one of the best big wave chargers of all time hands down.period

[@illusivemusings]

thanks for posting this. I remember watching the documentary on tv and trying to find out what it was called. Billabong Odyssey! When he came through the mist it blew my mind.

[@mariacoyle8513]

This willingness to ride insurmountable FEAR moves my soul… the sea is often compared to emotion and there is an absolute metaphoric power of surfing

[@mrtyronehooper6525]

Lifetime INSTANT LEGEND, NO KA OI my BRUDDA !

[@timcarter1870]

That was the best wave and ride ever..wow..you have to be a top notch pro to do that..brave, maybe a little crazy...AMAZING

[@blahblahoink]

Wow! Thats one of the best Ive seen. Great shot

[@captmack007]

we will call this wave the Mike Parsons project

[@crashdavis721]

Why don't you just name it Operation Wang Chung?

[@SillyGoose2024]

ok Alan

[@olivierbolton8683]

Great filming of a Great ride...

[@thejonegcle7759]

ABSOLUTELY AWESOME

[@kw7268]

From that vantage point, it just looked freaking insane. Wow. The dive at the end must be like hitting concrete.

[@ashleyhockenberry2187]

Super Cool !

[@dena3019]

That is Epic, congratulations champ,truly surfing legend!!

[@stevedouglas7375]

Far cry from when me and the boys used to go to our local beach and surf 2-3 foot slop.

[@baax]

That is amazing, what a wave, what a ride!

[@sgtrock2821]

You can apply every superlative to this event. A life well lived to be sure.

[@JhonCunningham]

Great song!

[@sirenalina1]

Человек! Это звучит гордо!))

[@j.elizabeth4621]

Was not expecting to hear Agent Orange! Perfect music for this clip.

[@flynntaylor5459]

That's a conversation I'd love to talk to Mike about 😂too bad I'll never get the chance.😂

[@holidaytravellerholiday7366]

Very nice video

[@chrisemerson7743]

Kicking ass on the first jet ski Yamaha ever made!

[@rachelmeade9307]

Jaws is crazy today!!

[@WillPage]

One of the best big wave clips of all time. This was after an unearthly beatdown. Also Look Out Below by Closure, the original track (not this one) is an epic song.

[@savitribalgobin159]

NOW THATS CALLED RIDDIN WAVES, FANTASTIC❤❤❤😁😁😁😁😁😁LOVE IT.

[@user-fg1jt7tf7e]

old but gold!

[@montanamornings8526]

Blows me mind!

[@thornwarbler]

Wow. Just wow!!

[@ojex_maulana]

Amazing

[@Yachtzeee]

Bless him. Literally a wall of water!

[@danham4168]

Spectacular footage and skill! Would have loved to see from his view- GoPro

[@user-vm7rg5ts9z]

amazing video!

[@barontynan]

Yes! Agent Orange and Parsons ripping!

[@Balstadt]

Mike Parsons - always loyal to the water... Never to be seen again. May God rest your soul.

[@DJRushX1]

I think you are confusing him with someone else

[@mikerobinson2008]

I'm intrigued. 64ft?!? Not 63. Not 65? Not 70ish?

[@matthewmeek4289]

Yeah Whats the measurement method on these things?

[@Aszknee]

They usually measure the weight of the balls of the surfer and convert that from pound to feet with a 1 to 1 ratio

[@mcm4981]

Mike Robinson - Garret explains... kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYrFYaKslMdsoK8

[@SuperSMT]

And it looks more like 30

[@R3adybreck]

@@SuperSMT 30 and some good camera work

[@TheGmcFilms]

I love this video ...G...

[@2011mymazda]

OMG!!!!!!! Wow! Amazing! Awesome 👍

[@BlakeSD]

Oh my! It was intense watching this. :)

[@setmylifetomusic]

Awesome!!

[@pinzon74]

STUNNING!

[@chiefryback7906]

Balls of freaking Steel Man!!!!

[@venturingwgio_9267]

This is so surreal, looks amazing really

[@free-energy-systems]

That is simply epic. Were you involved with this? No one should give this a thumbs down. They obviously don't know the Pacific. The movie Point Break was about this.

[@federicomartinez5699]

El mejor Video que ví

[@phillipsteiner3581]

Amazing!!!!

[@reddiver7293]

We've all seen vids of better rides than this. But not often a more seasoned, knowledgeable and gutsy performance. Mad respect.

[@mukhlisbinmuslim73]

You guys are really great and brave

[@jamespisano1164]

Woot!!! What a ride!!! HUGEmongous wave!!!

[@jimrollins4857]

That's great!

[@timventura]

AMAZING!!!

[@nicco6951]

Wow, is this guy the Surfing GOAT? Amazing

[@shevetlevi2821]

Two things about riding a wave like this: -I've heard that people who can do extreme things like this are physiologically insensitive to adrenaline. -Years ago I read a story in Surfing magazine in which the big wave surfer said, "Big waves are not measured in feet, but in increments of fear."

[@l21n18]

Maybe but Maybe not

[@Red-yb8qp]

@@l21n18 school then case kop

[@mjm5791]

That’s an interesting theory, but then I wonder why they would do it if they didn’t get an adrenaline rush

[@romee4722]

Okay so as much as I'd LOVE to just wake up one day and magically be wired to have that fearless mindset to do this because it's awesome, I know that realistically I would see that wave and call out in panic: 'Tsunami's coming! Run to high ground!!' I'll stick to walking on the beach collecting seashells.

[@l21n18]

If you just had that mindset and did they you’d get yourself killed. A lot of people here saying what balls this guy has, but the reality is this comes from great talent and hard work to get to this level of proficiency. The greatest surfers don’t start with these anymore than the greatest sports figures start in the pros. It’s not just some yahoo that tries some crazy stuff for the hell of it, those are the people that end up on the Darwin awards

[@romee4722]

@@l21n18 I definitely understand what you're saying! Very true. But a buddy of mine has that mindset. He happens to have been a surfer since he was knee-high to a grasshopper. He surfs big waves, like 40-footers. He's good but not pro so he wipes out sometimes and is an excellent swimmer. But he has that mindset with, for example, spiders (has a tarantula and genuinely loves wolf spiders because they eat worse bugs), and he even has no problem letting them crawl on his arm or leg😮😮 And he says Great Whites are docile and isn't afraid of coming across one (not sure how he'd know it's not hungry)😯 So that's kind of what I mean especially the spider part...I've tried and tried to get over my fear of larger spiders, but I just can't seem to.....every time I see one remotely near me, a sick feeling comes over me and I simply can't help it😮😮 I wish I could be like: 'Large spiders like Wolfies....meh!!'

[@l21n18]

@@romee4722 it’s funny though because Ive never had a fear of spiders at all, but I have trouble it’s balance and such don’t know surfing would never be my thing. Just let the spiders run on you, the best way to deal with fear is to give into it

[@romee4722]

@@l21n18 OMG that's exactly what my buddy says: he tells me to let spiders crawl on my arms, legs, or both to get used to them...swears that will make me not afraid of them anymore! 😂🕷

[@l21n18]

@@romee4722 it’s exposure therapy

[@donaldalbano6484]

Awesome, Totally Awesome! (to quote a friend of mine).

[@eleanorm5006]

Me at the start: Oh that’s not so bad Camera: Hang on a second **zooms out** Me: Oh...

[@slappy1031]

Back in the 70-80"s there was a picture in Surfer Magazine of Owl Chapman at Waimea, I think. Biggest wave I've ever seen a picture of, except maybe Nazare, but Waimea is way steeper. Love to see that again.

[@docwill184]

Haven't heard that name in forever. Absolutely remember that photo. Wasn't it the cover?

[@Ayodeji1993]

THAT IS BEAUTIFUL

[@scurburg4206]

Jaws really is one of the most beautiful of the big wave

[@martabeatrizgallo3223]

Awesome

[@PooDotStinkPants]

Me: 6 foot +, too big, I'm out. Mike Parsons: It's flat today, sleeping in.

[@barbarak.6900]

Wow ale super 👍❤️

[@kirkhenry3867]

I saw this a couple years ago and honestly I thought it looked so incredible that it had to be made with special effects....I am glad to be wrong and that this really happened.

[@aberamagold7509]

That was gnarly I have a knack for measurements and I eyeballed the wave at 60ft 6 inches, which we all know is just the right height for a slow hanging wave to occur

[@adamkane9414]

Cool 🤙

[@paulr.4968]

STOKED❗️👍🏽 🏄‍♂️

[@marinaivanova3023]

Необыкновенно..... Нет слов

[@robertklineyoung1009]

wicked !

[@robertacolarette1594]

The courage these guys have.

[@user-yu7de7hn7z]

Super!!!

[@TBrownRecords]

Oh my now that's a big super wave

[@MakaiMauka]

Epic ride....

[@Adin100]

This was badass

[@ghostrider-ek8gu]

Now that is an adrenaline rush. Thumbs UP!

[@CornyBum]

"Those aren't mountains. They're waves." "...and I'm gonna surf 'em." Cooper: NO PARSONS YOU ABSOLUTE MADMAN NOOOOO D':

[@trainsacomin2088]

Balls of steel, Mike

[@sandishka]

I love it

[@dfojaixfojaix524]

Great

[@keithcramer3844]

Huge balls ...huge . Much respect.

[@ronbonick4265]

Bad Dude !!! That takes a lot of grit .