This week, American surfer Garret McNamara claimed to have broken the record for the biggest wave ever surfed after riding a 90ft (27m) monster during the ZON North Canyon Project competition in Praia do Norte, Nazare, Portugal.

McNamara’s website states that, over the past decade, he’s been “on a mission to catch the biggest, best waves on the planet.” Speaking to Surfer Today, he said “I feel so blessed and honoured to have been invited to explore this canyon and its special town. The waves here are such a mystery.”

Fellow surfer Al Mennie added “most people would be scared but Garrett was controlling everything in the critical part of the wave. It was an inspiring ride by an inspiring surfer.”

Mike Parsons holds the official Guinness record for highest wave surfed, having ridden a 77ft swell at Cortez Bank in 2001. Until now, the unofficial record belonged to Ken Bradshaw, who rode an 85ft beast at Waimea Bay in Hawaii in 1998.

McNamara is no stranger to crossing new frontiers, after becoming one of the first people to ride a wave caused by a melting glacier in 2007, but this latest feat is surely his greatest achievement to date.

There really aren’t many things more entertaining than seeing fearless but incredibly talented nutcases like McNamara doing things that we mortals could barely dream of.

So let’s take a look at 5 more of the best records from the crazy world of extreme sports…

First BMX triple backflip

Earlier this year, Jed Mildon became the first person to pull off this gravity-defying feat. In your face, physics.

First 1620 nosemute grab on a snowboard

More rotation-based madness here from Norway’s Ulrik Badertscher.

Highest BASE jump (2,205ft)

In 2010, Nasser Al-Neyadi and Omar Alhegelan set the record for the highest BASE jump from a building when they leapt from a crane attached to the 160th floor of the Burj Khalifa.

Longest jump in a rally car (269ft)

Daredevil Travis Pastrana landed this ridiculously epic jump last year Long Beach, California, smashing the previous record by nearly 100ft.

Highest bungee jump (15,200ft)

Back in 2002, stuntman Curtis Rivers jumped from a hot air balloon at 15,200ft attached to a single bungee cord. Gnarly.

Seen any other mind-blowing extreme stunts? Let us know!