Alastair McLeod takes on megawave Pedra Branca
Tasmania, Australia: Earlier this month, Alastair McLeod – a 23-year-old student from Monash University – became the first person to windsurf the giant waves of Pedra Branca off Tasmania’s South Coast.
Pedra Branca has gained a fearsome reputation amongst the global surfing community as one of the most remote and dangerous waves on the planet, but until now, it had never been attempted under wind power.
Alastair McLeod – a 23 year old student from Monash University – became the first person to windsurf the giant waves of Pedra Branca off Tasmania’s South Coast, Australia on July 28-29, 2015.
Sitting 30km due south of Tasmania in the icy Southern Ocean, the dangers of the location are heightened by the immense power of the wave, its extreme isolation and exposure to the large storms of the Roaring Forties. Pedra Branca is also home to a large and permanent seal colony attracting great white sharks to the area.
The waves windsurfed were estimated to have faces in excess of 30ft – making them some of the largest waves ever windsurfed outside Hawaii. Alastair managed to ride a handful of waves during the filming of a secretive episode of the Red Bull documentary series Explorers – Adventures of the Century.