THIS is the moment a daredevil surfer risked his life to ride Britain's biggest wave at Newquay's Cribbar reef.
But just last week the real danger of the monster wave was evident when top surfer Marcus Lascelles broke his ankle attempting to ride it.Click here to see the photo gallery of Newquay's Cribbar breaking.
The notorious Cribbar wave hits the coastline just a handful of times a year and is famed for its ferocity and power.
It crashed into Newquay's Fistral Beach on Monday reaching 20ft and this surfer was spotted riding its crests.
But just last Wednesday Marcus, who has placed highly in a number of British competitions and was out training at the time with 16-time British champion Ben Skinner, broke his ankle when the lip of the wave clipped his board, catapulting him 15ft into the air.
See page six of tomorrow's Newquay Cornish Guardian for more news on the Cribbar breaking this week.![]()
The phenomenon is actually a short series of waves which have earned the names "The Widow Maker" and "The Bone Cruncher" because of the extreme danger of riding them.
It is created when low pressure systems in the Atlantic trigger huge swells which rise up as they pass over the rocky reef shelf.
The wave hits Britain only a handful of times every winter between September and April, drawing surfers from across Europe.
The phenomenon is actually a short series of waves which have earned the names "The Widow Maker" and "The Bone Cruncher" because of the extreme danger of riding them.
It is created when low pressure systems in the Atlantic trigger huge swells which rise up as they pass over the rocky reef shelf.
The wave hits Britain only a handful of times every winter between September and April, drawing surfers from across Europe.