British surfer Tom Butler rides 100ft ‘raging bull’ wave to break world record in Portugal

'When I was going down I thought, 'Holy f**k, this is the fastest I’ve ever been"'

A British man claims to have broken the world record for surfing the biggest wave.

Tom Butler, 29, caught what was estimated to be a more than 100ft tall wave at Nazare in Portugal.

The professional surfer, who grew up in Newquay, said the experience was like “running away from a raging bull”.

“It’s the biggest wave surfed in the world this season and could beat the current big wave world record,” he said.

“When I was going down I thought, ‘Holy f**k, this is the fastest I’ve ever been’.

Mr Butler added: “Time kind of slows down, it’s instinct really. I was doing everything to hold my balance. That’s when you’re training comes in – I do lots of gymnastics training to help me keep balanced.

“It’s hard to say exactly how big it was, I’d say it was 20 times my height and I’m 6ft2. You don’t really see it behind you because you’re so concentrated on what’s ahead of you.

“It’s like running from a raging bull, you don’t stop to think about how much it weighs – if you get eye contact then you’ve already failed.

“I reckon it was maybe 90 or even 100ft. I haven’t had a ruler handy while in Portugal but when I get home I’ll try to figure it out. It was a monster, I know that for sure.

“But many photo journalists who cover the sport here on a regular basis believe my wave surfed on Friday could be taller than the previous world record wave.”

Tom Butler riding the wave estimated to be a more than 100ft tall at Nazare in Portugal (SWNS)

Mr Butler must now submit photographic evidence to the World Surf League, who will officiate the claim ahead of an awards ceremony in April.

He previously made headlines in 2015 after a dramatic fall at Nazare which left him with a lung injury and bleeding from the ear.

Tom Butler, 29, grew up in Newquay (SWNS)

His potential record-breaker was filmed on Friday, when he said conditions were just right.

“I was under the whole peak of the wave,” he added. ”It was definitely one of the most committed lines and biggest waves I’ve ridden.

“I was completely underneath and there was more risk, there’s a lot more power and a higher mass of water.”

Nazare, near Praia do Norte in Portugal, is known for producing massive waves from an enormous underwater ravine off the coast.

Additional reporting by SWNS