Andrew Cotton, a 34-year-old plumber from England, surfed a giant wave up to 80 feet tall on Sunday in Nazaré, Portugal.
Conditions were said to be especially difficult with strong winds creating a great deal of turbulence.
After catching the massive wave, Cotton wiped out.
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Cotton told BBC News the fall was "pretty bad," but he used an inflatable vest, which made him "shot up" to the surface.
Garrett McNamara currently holds the world record for surfing the biggest wave ever, a 78-footer in 2011 at Nazaré. Cotton will find out from the Billabong XXL in March whether he officially broke the world record.