Monster wave brings record hope for Devon surfer Laura Crane

Crane had been competing in the contest when it was halted by a technical fault.

“Most surfers packed up, but I couldn’t,” she said.

“I had just hours of light left and the swell was dying. It was a race against time.”

Towed by team-mate Antonio Laureano, she caught a wave she said grew massively as it rolled towards the shore.

At speeds of more than 30mph (48km/h), Crane said one mistake could have been catastrophic, which she experienced when she broke her ankle at the same spot in 2024.

“When I came off the back, I cried straight away,” said Crane.

“The adrenaline is incomparable.”