German Big Wave Surfer Sebastian Steudtner surfed possibly the biggest wave ever during the XXL swell at premier big-wave destination Nazaré, Portugal, this season. Steudtner surfed a monster wave that was measured at 28.57m (93.73ft) leveraging state-of-the-art drone technology developed by Porsche Engineering and Team Steudtner. The current world record, also held by Steudtner, is 26.21m (86.4ft), which was achieved at Nazaré in 2020.
"I am very grateful to Porsche for the cooperative partnership over the past three years," says Sebastian Steudtner. "True to 'Driven by Dreams' and with Porsche as a partner I have been able to fulfill my dream of contributing to the further development of my sport."
Drone prototype for quick and precise wave measurement in use for the first time
During the XXL swell, the drone prototype from the joint technology project between Team Steudtner and Porsche Engineering was used. This project involves the development of a measuring drone that is intended to determine the height of waves quickly and precisely. Until now, video footage and still images were analyzed for these types of measurements.
The prototype from Porsche Engineering and Team Steudtner is equipped with cameras, control units and storage devices. In addition, sensors from vehicle development are used, which support modern driver assistance systems. The device can measure all areas of the wave and the surfer within a radius of about 100 meters.
"We are very pleased to have created an innovative solution that can advance the sport of surfing. It was a challenge to develop a drone that can measure not only the height of the waves but is also capable of tracking the surfer within the radius throughout the entire wave ride," says Marcus Schmelz, Project Manager at Porsche Engineering.
