Andrew Cotton, a 34-year-old plumber from England, surfed a giant wave up to 80 feet tall on Sunday in Nazaré, Portugal.
Conditions were said to be especially difficult with strong winds creating a great deal of turbulence.
After catching the massive wave, Cotton wiped out.
Garrett McNamara currently holds the world record for surfing the biggest wave ever, a 78-footer in 2011 at Nazaré. Cotton will find out from the Billabong XXL in March whether he officially broke the world record.