In the relatively niche world of big air kite surfing, a new record has been broken.
Hugo Wigglesworth, of New Zealand, just smashed the record for kite surfing’s biggest air in Cape Town, South Africa. The height of said jump? 40 meters, or 131 feet.
Check out the footage below.
Wigglesworth, who hails from Auckland and is a professional big air kite surfer, soars through the air on a hydrofoil board, his kite carrying to heights heretofore untouched, swinging him through the stratosphere like a skydiver parachuting wildly back to earth.
The record was measured, and confirmed, by WOO – an app that tracks jump heights.
FlySurferone of Wigglesworth’s sponsors, documented how the jump was achieved. Recapping the series of events that led up to the record, they outlined:
“He kept jumping, each time going higher and cleaner, then tacked far outside and taking off on a choppy kicker wave. Compared to his earlier take-offs, this one came in with nearly double the entry speed. Hugo edged hard, sent the kite with full commitment, and the world seemed to freeze for a second. Then the beach erupted in disbelief.
“In that moment, Hugo launched into what would soon be confirmed as the highest jump ever recorded in kitesurfing history.”
Related: Kite Surfing 1,567ft High, World Record Smashed (Video)
Recently, another similar record was broken when kite surfer Jake Scrace and stuntman Chey Anich ascended via paramotor up to 1,567 feet, then Scrace detached from the motor, and soared all the way back down to the water in the UK. New Guinness World Record for that one.
Back to Wigglesworth, regarding his latest feat, FlySurfer added:
“Hugo Wigglesworth didn’t just break a record. He broke a psychological barrier. He broke expectations. He broke the idea of what was possible.”
Related: Surfer Breaks Obscure World Record on Tidal Bore Wave (Video)