Andrew Cotton has been on the pioneering end of two of Europe’s most iconic big waves: Ireland’s Mullghamore, and of course, Nazare…The latter of which has captured the world’s imagination. In that time, the dedicated big-wave surfer from the Devon, England has seen it all: equipment evolution, advances in rescue techniques, and of course, injuries (he suffered a broken back at Nazare in 2017). That’s why it was so good to catch up with him to talk about that history, and the recent string of “world record” claims coming out of Nazare. One of the most interesting debates spawned from that particular spot is how to measure world-record waves? Andrew and I discussed technology and much, much more.