Garrett McNamara wasn’t planning to surf on 1 November. “I just didn’t really feel it,” he says. He agreed, however, that he would tow his British friend and fellow big wave surfer, Andrew Cotton, on his jetski.
What happened during that session has already entered surfing lore. Persuaded to take a wave, McNamara, 44, found himself on a freak mountain of water 90ft (30m) high, surfing one of the biggest waves ever ridden, probably the largest in Europe and the biggest recorded on film.
The video and photographs of Mc-Namara’s ride have been viewed by hundreds of thousands on the internet. They depict a tiny figure dropping down against a huge blue, hurtling backdrop.
It is all the more extraordinary because of the hazardous nature of the break, an hour north of Lisbon, where some of the world’s biggest waves collapse almost on the shoreline.
Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards airs on ESPN 2 this Tuesday
Back again by popular demand, the 2009 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards presented by Monster Energy are re-airing on the ESPN networks. Known as the Oscars of surfing, the ninth-annual XXL show is scheduled for both the ESPN2 and ESPN2HD channels this Tuesday, June 9 at 10:00 P.M. Pacific Time, 7:00 P.M Hawaiian and 1:00 A.M. late-night on the East Coast. Check your local listings for the correct channel in your area and set your TIVO or DVR now.
The hour-long television special features the biggest waves and most spectacular rides from around the world over the last year. Highlights of the high-surf action include Californian Greg Long’s unprecedented paddle-in barrel at Dungeons in South Africa which earned him the $50,000 XXL Ride of the Year prize.
Long finished just ahead of a stellar list of other nominees including Australians Ryan Hipwood and James Hollmer-Cross at Shipstern Bluff, Tasmania, Hawaiian Garrett McNamara at Teahupoo, Tahiti, and Californian Brian Conley’s point-of-view tube ride deep in darkest Mexico.
Topping out other categories were Grant “Twiggy” Baker for his 60-foot-plus XXL Biggest Wave bomb at Cape Town’s ominous Tafelberg Reef and Derek Dunfee’s Monster Paddle Award winner at Maverick’s in Northern California.
Also appearing in the ESPN show are Billabong Girls Best Performance Award winner Maya Gabeira of Brazil, Monster Tube champion Mark Healey of Hawaii and Surfline Performance winner Grant Baker. In total, over $130,000 in cash and prizes — including a new Honda watercraft — were handed out at the gala presentation at the Grove Theater in Anaheim, California.
As always, one of the most visually entertaining segments of the show is the Verizon Wireless Wipeout of the Year Award, which was determined for the first time this year by the text-in voting of the surfing public. Winning by a wide margin was Australia Ross Clarke-Jones for his spine-bending detonation within the guts of a huge cavern at the newly discovered Pedra Branca break in the open ocean off Tasmania’s southern coast.
The list of presenters at this year’s XXL show was a who’s who in surfing from today and yesteryear. Celebrities announcing the prize winners with hilarious and heartfelt speeches ran the gamut from three-time ASP world champ Andy Irons and 1999 champ Mark Occhilupo to legendary big wave waterman Greg Noll to Maverick’s Pioneer Jeff Clark right through to Linda Benson, the first woman to ride Waimea Bay in 1959.
The Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards show was produced and directed by David Stanfield. Executive Producers are Mark Hall, Graham Stapelberg, Bill Sharp and Sam Pontrelli. The XXL Awards are presented by Monster Energy Drinks. Verizon Wireless is the official communications provider, Surfline.com is the official surf forecast and Honda the official watercraft of the XXL. Additional support for the event comes from Air Tahiti Nui, Surfing Magazine and High Surf Accessories.
Tune in to the show this Thursday night to see it all. Until then, check out the highlight clips and still photos from the 2009 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards at BillabongXXL.com. For more information on Monster Energy, please go to MonsterEnergy.com
