Big Wave World Tour

2011/2012 BWWT Champion – Peter Mel

BWWT — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:37:23 +0000

April 4, 2012 – Oceanside, California -

The Big Wave World Tour has just concluded its third successful season and will be crowning Big Wave World Tour Champion, Peter Mel, later this month.The season started out strong at the extremely consistent big wave spot Punta de Lobos, Chile, home of the Quiksilver Ceremonial. The contest was held under sunny skies, perfect offshore winds and flawless 40+ft waves. The second stop on the tour, Billabong Pico Alto Invitacional, was held at the famed Peruvian Big Wave Spot, in clean and consistent 35-40ft waves. The seemingly endless walls allowed legendary big wave rider, Peter Mel, to carve himself all the way to the final, impressing the judges enough on his final wave to ensure his first world tour win. Immediately following his victory, fellow Quiksilver rider, Kelly Slater tweeted, ”It’s about time Pete.”

With La Nina in full affect for the North Pacific season, bad winds and small swells prevailed. The Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic (Lincoln City, Oregon, USA) and The Peligroso at Todos Santos (Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico) were unable to find suitable conditions to run their respected events.

Peter Mel’s semi final berth in Chile and his win in Peru catapulted him to the top of the ratings and the World Title race.

” Although we were unable to hold our two events in the Northern Hemisphere, Peter Mel our newly crowned Champion did a spectacular job representing the Region. His high performance approach on both the giant lefts of Chile and the long rights of Peru significantly raised the level of Big Wave surfing. The respect he has earned from his peers throughout his career will be echoed around the World as we rejoice in the crowning of this extremely deserving Champion.” Gary Linden, Tour Director

This year brought the unexpected passing of our dear friend and partner, Sean Collins. Sean and his company, Surfline.com, have been involved since the beginning giving the tour valuable information, insights and spot specific detailed intricacies which allowed the BWWT to call events in the best possible conditions. Trusted colleague, Kevin Wallace, and his team at Surfline.com will carry on Sean’s incredible legacy.

The 2012/2013 BWWT season has official commenced with the holding period for the Quiksilver Ceremonial Chile, Punta de Lobos (April 1st – May 31st).

The Big Wave World Tour would like to thank Surfline.com and Sol Raiz Organics for their continued support.

Carlos Burle @ Mavericks 2010

BWWT — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:09:06 +0000

This bomb was just one of many that Carlos charged on February 13th, 2010. It was a historic day, as it produced the biggest waves ever ridden in a big wave contest. Though he didn’t win the contest, he made the final, and charged as hard, if not harder, than anybody, accumulating over a minute’s worth of time underwater over the course of the contest. There’s a reason Carlos was crowned the first ever Big Wave World Champion! He’s a very intelligent surfer, and he’s never afraid to go.

PHOTO: CARPENTIER

Gabriel Villaran at Todos Santos 2010

BWWT — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:08:32 +0000

Obviously, Gabriel isn’t afraid of taking off deep. This wave was caught at the Todos Santos Big Wave Event in 2010, and it earned him “wave of the day” honors. The contest was held on February 28th, the last day of the waiting period for 2010, and there was zero prize money. Still, Gabriel and big wave stars from around the world showed up at Todos Santos to show their support for the Big Wave World Tour. Obviously, the payoff was greater than money, as they all got to surf 40-50 foot Todos Santos in perfect offshore conditions!

PHOTO: CARPENTIER

Carlos Burle at Pico Alto 2010

BWWT — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:07:07 +0000

Here’s Brazilian charger Carlos Burle on a bomb at Pico Alto. The Billabong Pico Alto Invitacional contest was held on August 24th, 2010. The waves peaked in the 40-45 foot range just in time for the semi-finals and finals. Though, the contest is won by riding the “biggest” waves, the highlight of this contest was watching the competitors carve up the huge walls that Pico Alto offered up, pushing the limits of performance surfing with a big wave gun!

PHOTO: MURRAY

Frank Solomon at Punta de Lobos 2011

BWWT — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:06:19 +0000

Here’s a stunning shot of young South African, Frank Solomon, on a huge, but perfect wave at the Quiksilver Ceremonial Punta de Lobos, Chile. Pristine contest conditions on this day in May made for the perfect kick off for the much anticipated 2011/2012 BWWT season! Frank is most recognizable as the guy with the distinctive yellow “squid lid”, but tour aficionados recognize Frank as one of the standout rookies on this years’ tour.

PHOTO: DEHEECKERE

Punta de Lobos Event Site 2011

BWWT — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:05:52 +0000

This was the scene on the cliffs at this years’ Quiksilver Ceremonial Punta de Lobos, held on May 28th. Thousands of Chileans made the drive from Santiago and surrounding towns to check out the annual big wave contest. Make no mistake, Chileans are into surfing. The atmosphere was electric, and conditions were perfect. The party started at the contest, and didn’t end until early the next morning!

PHOTO: ESCOBAR

Rusty Long Wipeout at Todos Santos 2010

BWWT — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:04:43 +0000

Rusty Long in a very bad place during the Todos Santos Big Wave Event 2010. Not surprisingly, this effort netted Rusty the “wipeout of the day” award. Had it not been for the offshore winds, he might have been able to make it down the face. Still, it was a tremendous effort, the kind that sets all of the big wave guys apart. They’re not afraid to take the chance, and they DO pay the price. Did I mention they were competing for a bottle of tequila!

PHOTO: QUIRARTE

Maverick’s Clean Up Wave 2010

BWWT — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:03:03 +0000

The Maverick’s contest on February 14th, 2010, saw the biggest waves ever paddled into in a contest, dealing out some of the worst beatings several of the competitors had ever experienced. The waves were unruly, with sneaker sets popping up on the west bowl, which is normally the safer place to sit. On this day, there was no safe place to sit, and the surfers went out there and took what seemed to be “mandatory” beatings in order to advance to the next heat.

PHOTO: CARPENTIER

Kohl Christensen at Nelscott Reef 2010

BWWT — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:02:26 +0000

Kohl Christensen won the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic 2010 thereby qualifying for the Tour. Kohl showed up in Oregon in hopes of getting in as an alternate, and the rest is history. The arial shot of this wave paints a picture of pure bravado in the face of impending doom, and it shows how gnarly these tour guys are. When Kohl took off on this wave it was obvious that he would take a beating if he went left. Still, he took the beating and got the score.

PHOTO: HUNT

Marcos Monteiro at Punta de Lobos 2011

BWWT — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:01:17 +0000

Brazilian Marcos Monteiro won the Quiksilver Ceremonial Punta de Lobos 2011 in 30-36 foot waves, with the occasional 40-footer. Light offshore winds prevailed for most of the day, and thousands lined the cliffs to cheer on the competitors. Marcos seemed to be everywhere, picking off great waves in all of his heats. This wasn’t his first time competing in this contest, and it showed!

PHOTO: ESCOBAR