Watch: Is This the Longest Barrel Ever Surfed?

Hyperboles…surfers love ‘em.

The biggest wave (Sebastian Steudtner, 86 feet, Nazaré...for now), the greatest of all time (Kelly Slater), the highest air (up for debate), et cetera et cetera.

But how ‘bout the longest tube surfed in the natural world (wavepools need not apply; sorry Slater)? If there’s one place in the world where that feat might be achieved, and one surfer who might snag the honor, it’s Koa Smith at Skeleton Bay.

During the surf world’s recent pilgrimage to Namibia’s freak-of-nature, sand-bottomed, lefthand pointbreak, Koa caught the wave above, and clocked some serious tube time.

Captioning the clip, he wrote:

“On my journey to my goal of getting the ONE MINUTE BARREL! This one felt close! Technically I would say I came out of the barrel around that 25 sec mark which resets the time clock!

“Let the drops on the lens reflect the tears in my eyes that I did come out 🥲😂. In real time it all felt like one long blurry friggin TUBE!

“So funny to see my mind trying to comprehend what just happened at the end there! It’s a feeling that words just fall short trying to explain. But if I had to try I’d say it’s like jumping off a big cliff and cuddling someone you love at the same damn time 😂!! for now… The mission for the 1 min tube continues!!!

“Riding a 5’6 @albumsurf Disorder Asym twin fin”

From a cursory time check, including the momentary lapse of cover Koa mentioned, the barrel comes in around the 56.47 minute mark. So, close to that one-minute milestone.

And it's not the first time Koa came close to clocking a minute-long tube at Skeleton Bay (see below); nor is it the first near 60-second tube seen during this recent resurgence of the Namibian freight train, like the 45-second drainer from the Skeleton Bay Shootout a month and some change ago.

But how’s this multi-tube wave below? That’s something special, too.

For now, looks like the elusive one-minute-long tube remains unridden.

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