For most surfers, the waves provided by nature offer plenty of excitement, but professional surfer and content creator Ben Gravy had his sights set on something even more extreme.
Over President’s Day weekend, Gravy headed to Miami, Florida, to take on the wake of the world’s largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas.
The stunt, which Gravy documented on his YouTube channel, took place just outside of PortMiami’s harbour on 15th February 2025, as Royal Caribbean’s massive vessel completed a 7-night Eastern Caribbean sailing and prepared to embark on a 7-night Western Caribbean voyage.
“This could be the biggest moment of my novelty career,” Gravy exclaimed in his video, as the 250,800-gross-ton Icon-class flagship approached, sending large, choppy waves into the surrounding waters.
Gravy, who has over 206,000 YouTube subscribers, didn’t take on Icon’s wake without practice.
Before the record-breaking ship arrived, he warmed up on the waves created by MSC Seascape and Norwegian Bliss. Though Carnival Horizon was also in port that day, Gravy chose not to surf behind it.
As the massive mega-ship came into view, Gravy playfully compared her to the Death Star from Star Wars, humming The Imperial March while preparing to ride the wave.
When the ship’s horn blasted, the water surged around him, and the wake delivered just what he was looking for – a wave big enough to ride.
“That was nuts… I was standing in ankle-deep water and that was a head-high wave. I can’t believe it,”
A dangerous – but impressive – feat
While Gravy’s surfing stunt has been met with enthusiasm from fans, it’s important to highlight that this is not something to try at home.
As an experienced surfer, Gravy had a qualified support team with him and has completed similar stunts before, including chasing ferry waves in 2024.
However, cruise ship wakes are incredibly powerful and can be extremely dangerous.
In January 2025, a couple and their dog had to be rescued when their small boat was capsized by the wake of a cruise ship near Port Tampa Bay.
The vessels in port that day, Radiance of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas, are less than half the size of Icon of the Seas – yet their wake was still strong enough to sink a boat.
Gravy’s daring ride might have been thrilling, but for the average person, getting too close to a cruise ship’s wake could be a life-threatening mistake.
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