updated 2:39 AM EST, Wed January 30, 2013  (CNN) -- He is but a dot in the ocean, gathering speed and rapidly rising as a mammoth wall of water expands below and behind him.  Simultaneously fearsome and awesome, this may be the moment Hawaiian rider Garret McNamara on Monday broke his own record for the largest wave ever surfed.  Caught off the coast of the small fishing village of Nazaré, Portugal, the monster wave was reported to be more than 100 feet high, or 30.5 meters.  "It was just this endless drop and my feet were popping out of the straps," McNamara told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "It was like my whole body was shattering. It was really difficult."  If accurate, the wave towers over his 2011 surf of a 78-footer (24 meter) at the same location. Nazaré officials have requested an impartial verification of a possible new world record.  Thanks to one of the only deep water canyons in the world that connects to shore, Praia do Norte -- the north beach of Nazaré -- sees abnormally large waves.  McNamara: "One of the hardest, longest drops."  A group of extreme surfers descended on the Portugal coast this past week, providing some amazing experiences for onshore observers and some very social media-friendly video and photos.  McNamara was first invited by the Nazaré Town Hall in 2010 as part of a three-year project to explore the local coast's unique geomorphic phenomenon and to bring more awareness to the area as a destination for big-wave enthusiasts.  Though onlookers were spellbound by McNamara's ride, the surfer said he didn't get that much of a rush.  "I don't know what's wrong with me. There's definitely something wrong," McNamara said in his interview with Cooper.  Part of complete coverage on  Damn we're organized. Print this out, stick it to the fridge, fill your year with fun and cheer.  If you were more aware of this small island state in the Indian Ocean, you wouldn't be reading this, you'd be planning a vacation.  Photographer Michele Westmorland leads a visual tour into the heart of Southeast Asia's most mysterious land.  Leave the snorkels and beach towels at home. Death and dismemberment await (seriously) on this collection of forbidding islands.  It may be in Japan, but Okinawa is in a culinary and healthy eating zone of its own.  updated 8:27 PM EST, Wed January 23, 2013  Bizarre is in the eye of the beholder.  From Singapore to North Korea, Asia's hotel scene is getting a fresh new look.  A new airport is poised to bring modern tourism to little-visited Chiloe Island. Locals wonder what being "discovered" will mean for them.  Rob Crossan, a visually impaired traveler, describes his experiences and how they need to be improved.  With the highest number of museums per capita in the world, museum fatigue looms for travelers in Israel. This should help.  Most popular stories right now
Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara may have broken the record for surfing the world's biggest wave -- a 100 foot monster off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal.