Riding California’s Wild Surf to Guinness World Records
Spectacular athletic feats aren’t limited to the two-legged species of mammals who dare to challenge the Pacific. A doggone kelpie named Abbie Girl holds the record for the longest open water wave surfed by a dog. The record was set on October 2011 when she surfed 351 feet and 8 inches, riding a wave at Ocean Beach in San Diego. Kelpies are Australian herding dogs known to jump on the backs of sheep to steer them in a certain direction. Abbie Girl was adopted as a shy rescue dog who gained confidence by spending hours with her master at Dog Beach in Del Mar. She followed him into the water and liked to jump on his surf board. She has competed in California Dog Surfing contests.
In 2008 Mike Parsons set a Guinness World Record riding the biggest wave ever surfed in the Pacific waters not far from where Abbie Girl made her mark. At Cortes Bank off the San Diego coast he caught a 77-foot wave and successfully completed the dangerous, wild ride, holding the record for four years (till someone rode a 78-footer and broke his record.) Parsons broke his neck in 2013 on a wave in San Francisco. He was paralyzed, made a full recovery and is back in the water.
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