Behold the World’s Tallest Sandcastle, 41 Feet Tall
The battle for tallest sand structure rages on
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If part of your summer agenda includes constructing an epic sandcastle, here’s a bit of inspiration for your next creation: a sand structure over 41 feet tall. In fact, as Mental Floss’ Hayley Harding reports, this towering beachfront behemoth earned a Guinness World Record certification as the world’s tallest sandcastle.
The structure was built in Rio de Janeiro using 20 truckloads of Brazilian sand. Over the course of 15 days, reports Harding, Caterpillar excavators and earth movers hauled sand and water, stacking it into a feat of ocean architecture that brought a bit of metropolitan flair to the beach. Then, they destroyed their own creation in what was perhaps a nod to the ephemeral quality of structures built next to huge bodies of water.
Towering 41 feet and 3.67 inches, the castle beat out the last record by over three feet. But don’t think the former world record holder will go down without a fight: ice and sand sculptor and 2013 champion Ed Jarrett has already broken ground on his latest attempt to make sandcastle history. He’s building “Castle Laurita” in New Egypt, New Jersey — entirely by hand.
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