The morning began as one of those rare days when Hawaiian-born Garrett McNamara did not really want to go surf. It ended, being the day when the 44-year old rode a wave that would get immortalize him forever in the Guinness World Records!

The amazing chain of events took place in November of 2011, when the professional surfer was riding waves in Nazaré,Portugal in an area above an underwater canyon that is famous for generating monster surf.

Tired from being beaten down by the waves the previous day, the 5-ft10-inch tall surfer was thinking about taking a break, but was persuaded by his friends to catch just a few waves. And catch he did - A wave that was at that time believed to be 90-feet tall.

While closer examination by experts pared it down to 78-feet tall, it is still a whole foot higher than the previous record set in 2008, giving the surfer, a well-deserved spot in the record books.

Resources: Indiancountrymedianetwork.com,bbc.co.uk