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Billabong XXL Update
Jan. 30, 2009
By Justin
Courtesy of www.BillabongXXL.com:
AUSTRALIAN
AND SOUTH AFRICAN SURFERS AMONG FRONT-RUNNERS
FOR 2009 BILLABONG XXL GLOBAL BIG WAVE AWARDS
NEWPORT
BEACH, CA — (Friday January 30, 2009) — Two months remain in the yearlong period for the
Ninth Annual Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards and several of Australia’s
top riders are in contention for nominations.
The
$130,000 Billabong XXL Awards are the Oscars of big wave riding, with
eligibility open to big wave surfers at every break around the globe during the
one-year contest window.
The
event closes at the end of the Northern Hemisphere winter on March 20, followed
by the award ceremony in California on April 17, where the gladiators of big
wave riding meet.
West
Australian Damien “Taco” Warr is among a host of Aussie daredevils leading the
way for XXL contention after tackling a monster ride at a secret offshore
location on the West Australian coast. Warr’s ride, currently entered in
the $15,000 Biggest Wave Category, is over 50 feet (15 meters) tall on the
face, similar to a five story building, and was tackled in April of 2008.
“The
conditions were perfect that day, the wind was light offshore, the sun was out
and it was the first swell of the year so there was no one else around,” said
Warr. “I remember going across the ocean heading out to the reef, which
is about three kilometers off shore and from side on we were watching these
monstrous waves breaking top to bottom.”
“I
jumped straight off the ski when we got out there and as we were making our way
out to the take off zone, a series of sets came through. We let the first set
pass and the second one was just absolutely huge,” he said. “It was the
biggest wave I had ridden by far and at the time I didn’t realize just how big
it was because I hadn’t surfed out there for a year and a half.”
“You
are so focused on what is going on at the time that everything around you is a
bit of a mind blank you are just so intent on making the wave and making sure
it doesn’t land on your head.
“I
would hate to think what a lip like that landing on you would do to your body.
“The
South West of WA definitely has some of the biggest and most consistent swells
in Australia and it is on par with the other big wave locations around the
world for sure,” said Warr.
Warr
joins a list of surfers, including tow partner Alex Cater, to have had solid
waves entered in the awards from the West Australian "bombora" or
outer break.
“I’ve
never thought of myself as being on the same level as the great big wave
surfers from the USA, Europe and Hawaii,” he said. “To be recognized in
these awards is fantastic, when I first put that wave in for contention I
didn’t think it would come close because people always seem to be riding bigger
and better waves in California and Hawaii, but to even be in the running is
insane.”
The
reigning champion in the XXL Big Wave Award division is Californian Mike
Parsons for his world record Cortes Bank wave which measured in excess of 70
feet on the face.
Another
popular favorite in the Biggest Wave category is another Southern Hemisphere
resident, Grant "Twiggy" Baker (South Africa), who rode a massive
wave at Tafelberg Reef off Capetown, South Africa, on the biggest day ever
challenged in his home country.
Baker
is also considered a likely nominee for the Monster Paddle category along with
fellow South African James Taylor for a wave they shared in the semifinals of
the Red Bull Big Wave Africa contest at Dungeons in July. The South
African also paddled into several enormous waves earlier this winter in the USA
at Maverick's, near San Francisco, California, further advancing his reputation
in that discipline.
Among
the other Australian favorites for the $50,000 Ride of The Year category are
Ryan Hipwood (Gold Coast, Qld.) for his airborne jump into the tube at
Shipstern Bluff, Tasmania, along with Sydney surfer Mark Mathews for a thick
tube at a newly discovered wave in Western Australia dubbed "The
Right." Also contending, thanks to a long and brutally thick barrel
at Shipsterns, is Hobart's James Hollmer-Cross.
“It
would definitely be a crazy thing to make one of the top five nominees in any
of the categories,” said Hipwood. “I would love to get nominated and go
over to California for the award ceremony.”
Both
Hipwood and Mathews could also be contenders for the Monster Tube Award which
honors the most remarkable still photo of a surfer riding inside the barrel of
a big wave.
The
Shipsterns break in Tasmania has consistently fielded entries in the XXL awards
with Australian surfer Dylan Longbottom winning the Monster Tube Ride category
for a ride there in 2005.
“Shippies
is definitely one of the heaviest waves in the world,” said Hipwood.
“When you are out there and you see just how much power some of the waves
break with, it just blows you away.”
Other
Australians with solid entries in this year's Billabong XXL Awards include
Kerby Brown (Kalbarri, WA), Andrew Mooney (MacMasters Beach, NSW), Josh Kerr
(Tweed Heads, NSW) and Michael Brennan and Marti Paradisis (both of Hobart,
Tasmania).
Their
rides are among the over 330 entries received to date from all around the world
including Australia, Chile, Tahiti, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, South Africa
and Oregon and California along the USA West Coast. Interestingly, Hawaii
— normally a mainstay of XXL content — has yet to register a solid entry this
winter as a La Nina weather pattern begins to take hold.
It
may be a bit early for any of the Down Under surfers to begin packing their
bags just yet as the month of February tends to statistically produce some of
the most intense storms and high surf of the year in the North Pacific and
North Atlantic. Europe especially has seen a series of enormous swells
the last few weeks, but they have been accompanied by poor weather with only
brief windows of quality conditions.
The
Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards is the original and most prestigious
competition of its kind and the only event to honor the extraordinary
achievements of all big wave riders at all breaks around the world over the
course of the full year.
The
event period ends with the Vernal Equinox on March 20 and the nominees will be
announced that week in all the categories including the Billabong XXL Ride of
the Year, the Billabong XXL Biggest Wave, the Monster Paddle-In, Monster Tube,
Surfline Best Male Performance and the Billabong Girls Best Performance.
The
Ninth Annual Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards are presented by Monster
Energy. Surfline is the official surf forecaster, Verizon Wireless is the
official communications provider and Honda Aquatrax the official watercraft.
The event is sponsored by Surfing Magazine and Hawaiian Airlines.
For
full details on the Billabong XXL Awards, including format, rules and all the
latest photos, visit the event website at www.BillabongXXL.com.
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