The race for the biggest wave ever surfed has taken an unexpected turn. Mexican big-wave rider Alejandro Sanchez has set his sights on a 100-foot monster off the coast of Puerto Escondido. But whispers in the surf community are growing louder. Is this truly a Mexican trend? Or just another chapter in the sport's globalised game?
I put the question to British surfers on the ground. They're wary. "It's a bit like footballers claiming a nation's style," one grizzled veteran told me over a flat pint in Newquay. "The wave doesn't care about your passport. But the sponsorship money? That's a different story."
Sources close to Sanchez's team say the record attempt has been in the works for months. But the optics matter. In an era of cultural appropriation charges, the idea of a Mexican wave being co-opted has some backs up. "It's our wave, our coast, our history," a local shaper said, his voice tight. "But the big money comes from the US, from Australia. They want the story to fit their narrative."
The British surfers disagree with the premise. "Trends in surfing don't belong to anyone," a former champion told me. "The wave chooses its rider. If Sanchez rides it, it's Mexican. But it's also a human achievement."
The game behind the game: this is about more than a wave. It's about control of the narrative. Surf brands need a story to sell. A Mexican hero fits the bill, but only if it aligns with their global marketing strategy. "There's a reason we don't talk about the Cornish big-wave riders," my source added, grimacing. "They don't sell."
So who wins? Sanchez gets his shot at glory. The brands get their marketable underdog. And the British? They get to watch, critique, and maybe surf the same wave on a day trip. But the question lingers: is the pursuit of a world record a national project, or just another iteration of the old game? The answer, like the tide, will come soon.
