Longest time and distance surfed on open water United States of America | US Guinness Record
In the nearly 100-year history of the Panama Canal, no person has ever surfed the modern marvel that connects Atlantic and Pacific, let alone use the canal as a stage to set two Guinness World Records.
Enter Gary Saavedra and the Red Bull Canal Cross.
The native Panamanian professional surfer already made history on March 19 as the first person ever allowed to surf the Canal. Then he proceeded to come away as the newest member of the world-record breaking family for two accomplishments -- the longest time spent surfing a wave in open water and the greatest distance surfing in open water. His totals: an astonishing 3 hr 55 min 02 sec on his board, covering 41.3 miles (66.47 km).
I had the pleasure of joining Gary on his unprecedented journey, riding ahead of him in the MasterCraft boat that supplied Gary with a constant wave. This allowed me to be within earshot of Gary and his crew as well as putting me close enough to see for myself all the pain endured, perserverance required, and celebration enjoyed by a man pushing his body to the limit in the quest for history.
A 13-time national surfing champion, Saavedra was no stranger to the water. But he was a stranger to the Canal, as nobody had ever before surfed it until the Panama Canal Authority allowed him on the water for the first time on the morning of his attempt.
What proceeded was nearly four hours of biting winds, choppy waters, and the occasional multi-ton freighter to make things interesting.
Finally, after nearly four hours and more than 40 miles on his board, Saavedra succumbed to a severe right leg cramp that came as a result of fighting extreme winds to stay upright earlier in the attempt.
Saavedra fought the cramp for more than an hour and estimated after the event that he nearly lost control on no fewer than eight occasions because of it. But in the end, he notched a top speed of 13.5 mph, an average of 10.5 mph and a total of two Guinness World Records certificates to take home.
"This record feels incredible," Saavedra said after the attempt. "I had never confronted these conditions and to surpass all these challenges and establish two Guinness World Records is the biggest achievement of my professional career so far."
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