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2012 Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards
Author: Tracks Magazine
The 12 months leading up to the end of the annual XXL cycle at the end of the Northern Hemisphere spring on March 19 have been widely regarded as the most spectacular ever seen in the sport of big wave riding. "Biggest-ever" swells were conquered at surf breaks in locations ranging from Tahiti to Ireland and from Tasmania to Portugal along with "just plain huge" days in Mexico, Fiji, California and Hawaii. When whittled down to the top five nominees in each of the XXL's seven divisions, every category is filled with breathtaking moments, all worthy of being named an XXL champion and each with a shot at a share of the $120,000 in prize money at stake.
The winners will be announced at the invitation-only Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards party at the Grove Theater in Anaheim, California on May 4, 2012. The show will be webcast that night on YouTube's Newtork A, and will be broadcast as a one-hour program on FUEL TV on Sunday, May 20 at 3 P.M. PT.
This year's event marks the 12th-annual edition of the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards, an event open to every qualified surfer at every break on every day of the year, so long as the action is captured by a video or still camera and submitted for judging by the XXL's voting academy of expert surfers and lensmen.
Over 1,000 images were entered into the event before being filtered down to the best five stills and single definitive video clip of each nominated ride.
In the all-important Billabong XXL Ride of the Year category, there are five very different waves in contention, all ridden in very different regions around the planet.
In consideration for the $50,000 winner's prize are a pair of Southern Californians: Nathan Fletcher for his earth-shattering barrel at Teahupoo, Tahiti and Greg Long for his paddle-in tube at Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Two Australians are also represented, including Ryan Hipwood for his long, spitting pipe of a wave at Cloudbreak, Fiji and upstart Jeff Rowley for a hair-raising late paddle drop and pocket ride at Jaws on Maui (a spot generally believed to be a tow-surfing-only location prior to the last two winters). Rounding out the five is the lone Hawaiian, Garrett McNamara, for his plunge into a massive face off the coast of Portugal, a feat that earned the big wave veteran global headlines in November.
The theme of recent years to push the envelope of what is possible in the realm of arm-powered surfing has continued unabated with another slate of stunning nominees in the highly-regarded Monster Paddle division. Earning spots as finalists for 2012 are: Santa Cruz's Ken "Skindog" Collins at Maverick's near San Francisco, California; Australian Jamie Mitchell at Todos Santos Island off Ensenada, Mexico; and Brazil's Danilo Couto, Oahu's Dave Wassel and Big Islander Shane Dorian all being recognized for man-handling huge, windy walls at Jaws, on the north shore of Maui.
In the XXL Biggest Wave category (open to waves caught with jet skis or any other means), another five rides are being honored for maximum height -- pure and simple. McNamara is nominated once more for his Portugal ride, which will be compared to two dark and frigid late-season Irish giants ridden at Mullaghmore Head by local Ollie O'Flaherty and the UK's Andrew Cotton. Adding to the European domination of the Biggest Wave division this year is a clean, green ride by Basque surfer Axi Muniain at Agiti, on the northern coast of Spain. Joining the four Euro Zone rides is a beautiful big blue bomb of a wave at Cow Bombie in Western Australia, precisely ridden from start to finish by W.A.'s own Damien "Taco" Warr.
The nominees for 2012, in alphabetical order:
FIVE BILLABONG XXL RIDE OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES
(Surfer prize $50,000 - Video prize $5,000)
Nathan Fletcher (San Juan Capistrano, California, USA) at Teahupoo, Tahiti on August 27, 2011.
(Video by Simon Saffigna.)
Ryan Hipwood (Gold Coast, Australia) at Cloudbreak, Fiji on July 12, 2011.
(Video by Nimai Strickland.)
Garrett McNamara (Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA) at Praia do Norte, Nazaré, Portugal on November 1, 2011. (Video by Jorge Leal.)
Garrett McNamara (Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA) at Praia do Norte, Nazaré, Portugal on November 1, 2011. (Video by Jorge Leal.)
Jeff Rowley (Torquay, Victoria, Australia) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on January 30, 2012.
(Video by Wangdu Hovey.)