Laura Enever breaks the woman's record for surfing the biggest paddle-in wave in Hawaii

Laura Enever now holds the women's record for the biggest paddle-in wave ever surfed! The World Surf League has verified the wave alongside the Guinness World Records, claiming it was 13.5 meters tall (44 ft).

A remarkable achievement from the Australian-born surfer, who faced the giant wave with only her board – there was no jetski tow-in here!

According to the Guinness World Records, Enever "tamed the giant 13.5-meter wave" in 2016, with no help from a jet ski or a third-party assistant. Just her and the wave!

The 31-year-old surfer beat the previous record by just a foot when she tackled the Hawaiin giant. She paddled out to the Outer Reef on the North Shore, home to some of the world's most violent waves.

Laura Enever was born and raised in Sydney's Northern Beaches, Australia. She grew up in a very surf-friendly environment, which shaped her into an incredibly talented surfer.

Enever crowned herself the ASP Women's World Junior Champion in 2009. She then made her professional debut in 2011. The two-time Junior Champion transformed into a local legend after winning the Hurley Australian Open in 2015!

The Australian surfer described the experience in Hawaii as "a gift at the perfect spot". A memorable moment for Enever, who witnessed the true ferocity of nature right on the line!

"So many people were being taken out that day and I was kind of like just paddling around and sort of found this position in the line-up that I just felt was kind of just a spot where if the wave came that was sort of big enough, I would've been able to ride it," shared Enever during an interview for Sky News.

"When that wave came I just...I was in the perfect spot. And that's why I say it was such a gift, I was just right in the perfect spot and I turned and I had to take a few paddles," added Enever. Paddling into such a massive mass of water requires a lot of strength and unwavering determination.

When asked about her drop-in experience, Enever described it: "I felt it pick me up and I looked down the face and I knew it was big when I was paddling into it but it wasn't until I looked down the face and was like, it's a long way down!"

There is great merit behind Laura Enever's achievement, as paddling into massive waves can be a very tricky maneuver. Surfers need to pump out enough inertia in their strokes to drop in properly – surfing in its purest form.

The Australian surfer timed everything to perfection. There was a great risk of getting sucked "into the falls", meaning Enever could have been launched up and over the wave. Extremely risky when facing big waves.

Most big wave surfers use tow-in jet skis in order to match the wave's speed. Jet skis allow surfers safe access to bigger swells.

The title for the biggest wave ever paddled into by a woman was previously held by Andrea Moller's whooping 12-meter wave (42 ft) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii.

The German surfer, Sebastian Steudtner, currently holds the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed. Steudtner dropped into a 26-meter wave (86 ft) off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal.

The Guinness World Record for the largest wave ever surfed by a woman is held by Maya Gabeira after riding a 22-meter giant (74ft) at Nazaré, Portugal.