Mike Parsons
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Mike Parsons (born March 3, 1965) is a surfer sponsored by the Billabong company who famously surfed successfully, a 66-foot wave at Cortez Bank, CA in 2001, for which he was awarded $66,000, the highest prize ever awarded in the history of professional surfing. This money was awarded by the Billabong XXL competition which has run since 2001 paying tribute to the biggest waves ridden each year. This feat was popularised by the film Billabong Odyssey. Mike is famous for a video clip of him riding a wave about 65 tall at Jaws, shot from a helicopter, that many believed was the biggest wave ever surfed. Bigger waves have been ridden. Mike recently broke his record on January 5, 2008, at Cortez Bank, when he was photographed surfing a wave that the Billabong XXL judged to be 70+ feet, which should put him in the Guiness Book of World Records, officially, for biggest wave ever surfed. Unofficially the biggest wave ever surfed remains Ken Bradshaw's wave at Log Cabins, Oahu on 1-28-98, at about 80 feet.
