Winter Storm Brigid has created up some of the most challenging conditions ever seen in Europe for surfers over the past few weeks.
One daredevil rider who looks to have taken full advantage of the big waves created by the weather system is United Kingdom surfer Andrew Cotton, with claims he may have set a new record for Largest wave surfed (unlimited) last Sunday.
The 34-year-old is estimated to have reached a height of 24.3m (80ft) while riding a monster wave following a storm in Nazare, Portugal.
If the height is confirmed, it would beat the current record of 23.77 m (78 feet) set by Andrew’s friend Garrett MacNamara in the same region in November 2011.
Andrew was towed into position by a jet ski driven by US surfer Garrett during his potentially history making ride, holding his position for about 10 seconds before the wave consumed him.
"It was massive that morning and I knew there was potential to catch potentially record-breaking waves," Cotton told Sky News.
"As I turned around I looked at it and it was obviously a big wave, but I didn't realise how big it was going to be.
"There was obviously a bout of nerves."
Hailing from Braunton in North Devon, "Cotty" is no stranger to riding big waves, having notched up huge rides at Mullaghmore Head, Ireland which earned him a nomination for Biggest Wave at the 2012 Billabong XXL Awards.
Andrew travels the world in search of waves like the one he caught on Sunday.
"There is a lot of commitment and I'm lucky I've got an understanding wife and family," he added.
"It's a dream to ride these waves, for me.
"The really exciting thing about surfing is that you never know when there's going to be a bigger wave – it's not like mountain climbing where you can climb the highest mountain."
Sunday’s events come after Andrew negotiated a similarly huge wave at the same location back in October during the "St. Jude's Storm" swell which had already put him contention for the world record.
The above video of the record attempt was shot by Jose Pedro Gomes as an entry in the Ride of the Year category of the 2014 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards.
A definitive ruling on whether the feat set a new world record will be made in March.
