2009/2010 Mavericks Surf Contest May Be Called This Weekend!

Mavericks surfers are watching the jet stream and swells out in the Pacific, in the chance that the annual big-wave surf competition might just be held this week.

Their latest tweet says, 'Pacific is pretty active, but we need the jet stream to come together.'

Contest co-director Katherine Clark said the surfers had been put on alert to vote on Wednesday and Thursday.

 A 'yes' vote on Wednesday will mean a contest on Friday, a vote on Thursday will see the surfers hitting the waves on Saturday.

'The Call', when it is made, will have 24 of the world's greatest big-wave surfers rushing to Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco.

If the contest isn't called then, 'right behind it is another swell,' said Katherine. But the surfers are on their toes for this weekend.

'Everybody's on call,' she said - and under orders from the Maverick's Matriarch to 'start paying attention!'

But 'The Call' rests with the surfers, the big change in the running of the contest since Mavericks pioneer Jeff Clark is no longer Contest Director and calling the contest himself.

'It's their job and they're taking it very seriously,' Katherine said.

After tonight, she added, they would have a clearer idea of the likelihood of a contest. 'The season is really starting to come together. We've had about ten days when they could surf,' she added, expecting  that El Nino would further enhance swells.

The surfers are now close at hand. Many are living locally around Half Moon Bay, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and southern California. Those who live in Hawaii are still there - 'there's been some great waves in Hawaii'. Furthest away is Chris Bertish who is in South Africa. His fellow countryman, Grant 'Twiggy' Baker, has been living in San Francisco since just after the contest window opened on November 1.

Reigning champion Greg Long is in his home area in southern California. He is a strong contender for the crown having won the prestigious Eddie Aikau big-wave contest in Hawaii in December.

The Mavericks contest takes place about half a mile off shore, just off Pillar Point at Half Moon Bay. It is considered to be one of the most dangerous surfing spots in the world, with thunderous waves, rocks and frigid temperatures.

When the contest is called - and last year there was no contest due to a lack of swell - an expected 40,000 fans will cram along the shoreline. Millions of others will either be in the Giants' AT & T ballpark in San Francisco for a live broadcast or watching on TVs and computers.

As the popularity of the contest grows, the Mavericks organization are using digital technology to make it more accessible than ever.

The contest is sponsored by Sony Ericsson and Barracuda Networks with a record roll-over prize of $150,000.

To keep an eye on the 'contest call': maverickssurf.com

Pics show Ryan Seelbach, Alex Martins, Chris Bertish at the Opening Ceremony; Katherine Clark with 'Doc' Pascowitz and surfers

Judging Mavericks 2009/2010 Surf Contest & Heat Selections

Holding the Mavericks Surf Contest is one thing, judging who on a given day out of the world's top big-wave surfers is the best performer, is another matter.

'It's an honour to be chosen to head the judging and pick who's going to be the winner. It's one of the most challenging big-waves in the world,' said Head Judge Gary Linden - pictured

He was on Mavericks Beach at Half Moon Bay on Friday, taking part in the opening ceremony of the contest's Waiting Period - see previous blogs - and at the celebration party afterwards when heat selections were drawn.

With all the indications with warm water this late in the year, he said, 'I think it's going to be a great year and I think it will give us ample opportunity to pick big waves and great conditions.'

'Anyone on a given day could end up a winner!' he said, of the 24 invitees. Defending Champion is Greg Long of San Clemente.

Their performance on the day depends on a combination of skill and Mother Nature. Points are not only given for the way the surfers ride the wave, but on the size of the wave itself. Ten for a great wave, but half that with the wrong wave, said Gary.

They need an 'uncanny ability' to get the most critical take-off on the biggest wave possible.

In the first-round heats, six surfers at a time have 45 minutes to 'be in the right place at the right time.'

Without the right wave, 'you're cooked!' said Gary.

(Jamie Sterling of Hawaii pic left)

While Gary has his eye on the contestants, another man with a different eye on the scene will be Deputy Harbourmaster, Cary Smith, who will be one of those responsible for policing the event with its expected 40,000 crowd.

Cary was quietly patrolling and chatting to people at the opening ceremony. There are hundreds, maybe even a thousand, people working behind the scenes to organize this event, he said. Basically, its 'crowd management' including provision of medical teams, he said.

But, he pointed out, even with 1,000 people, that makes one person per 4,000 people. 'It gets pretty crazy!' he said.

One restriction they have to enforce is to stop fans getting onto the top of the cliff behind the beach, as in a past year rocks fell down on someone.

Cary's primary responsibility is on the water, to ensure everyone's safety from the contestants to the flotilla of rescue jet skis, and small craft bearing media and safety equipment.

He's confident those plans are 'pretty good!'

Heat 1: Evan Slater, Darryl 'Flea' Virostko, Ion Banner, Dave Wassell, Grant 'Twiggy' Baker, Tyler Smith
Heat 2: Peter Mel, Shane Desmond, Zach Wormhoudt, Nathan Fletcher, Matt Ambrose, Anthony Tashnick.
Heat 3: Brock Little, Tim West Jr, Kenny 'Skindog' Collins, Josh Loya, Greg Long, Carlos Burle.
Heat 4: Chris Bertish, Grant Washburn, Ryan Seelbach, Ben Andrews, Shawn Rhodes, Jamie Sterling

pics by Chris Flowers

Mavericks 2009/2010 Surfers To Call Contest

For the first time ever, the 24 elite big-wave surfers in the Mavericks 2009/2010 contest will make the call on when the waves are high enough for the competition to go ahead.

And with El Niño conditions forecast, surfers are expecting some stupendous thrills.

'This season we’re embarking on a new chapter, as the Mavericks competitors will choose the day,' said Mavericks CEO Keir J. Beadling today. 'Once potentially contestable conditions are identified, ‘the 24’ will vote and determine whether to pull the trigger. If they say ‘go,’ we go, and that’s exactly the way it should be at Mavericks.'

The Mavericks Surf Contest invites 24 of the world's top big-wave surfers to compete at just 24 hours notice between November 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010. The contest, held at Half Moon Bay less than an hour from San Franicisco, is dependent on Mother Nature providing a giant Pacific swell at what is considered to be one of the most dangerous surfing spots in the world.

When to call the contest had become a point of acrimony with former Contest Director and legendary pioneer of Mavericks, Jeff Clark, ousted earlier this year by the board. There have been years when the contest was not called.

With increased sponsorship this year from Sony Ericsson, the previous contest window of January 1 to March 31 has been extended by opening this Sunday, November 1. Contestants will be looking for the 'perfect ride on waves reaching heights of 30 to 40 feet or more,' said Mavericks in their press release.

Official Surf Forecaster Mark Sponsler of Stormsurf.com is optimistic that the competition will go ahead. 'The El Niño season, which has already begun, should bring a higher number of storms moving from the International Dateline into the Gulf of Alaska than in years previous.

'Those storms should have the potential to push larger and more consistent surf down the Pacific Coast into California,' he said, bringing with them 'several good opportunities' for the contest.

Veteran contest competitor, Kenny “Skindog” Collins, - pictured - commented, 'This Mavericks Contest combined with this season’s El Niño is going to be historic!'

The elite 24 are: Matt Ambrose, Ben Andrews, Grant Baker, Ion Banner, Chris Bertish, Carlos Burle, Kenny Collins, Shane Desmond, Nathan Fletcher, Brock Little, Greg Long, Josh Loya, Peter Mel, Shawn Rhodes, Ryan Seelbach, Evan Slater, Tyler Smith, Jamie Sterling, Anthony Tashnick, Darryl Virostko, Grant Washburn, Dave Wassell, Tim West, Zach Wormhoudt.

Also named are the 15 alternates, in order of priority: Alex Martins, Danilo Couto, Mark Healey, Tyler Fox, Rusty Long, Nic Lamb, Jamie Mitchell, Mike Gerhardt, Russell Smith, Kealii Mamala, Garrett McNamara, Andrew Marr, Lawton Smith, John Whittle, Colin Dwyer.

They will face frigid waters, dangerous currents, jagged rocks and the ever-present threat of the great white shark at what is known as 'the wave beyond.'

A record Prize Purse of $150,000 has been rolled over from last season when the contest was not held, donated by benefactors Moose Guen and Jane Sutherland of MVision, and Barracuda Networks. The Champion will take home $50,000, defending 2008 Champion being Greg Long of San Clemente, who as Champion will be defending his title in a sponsored Jim Beam Jersey.

Fans will be able to purchase a limited edition Contest label, and the company are donating $5,000 to Save the Waves, an environmental coalition that seeks to preserve surf spots around the world.

An extra award of $5,000 for the 'Gnarliest Drop' will be given to the surfer who exhibits the most impressive drop-in of the day.

During the competion, organizers will be working closely with Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary (GFNMS), to protect the wildlife and the habitats of the part of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary where the contest takes place, to protect breeding and migrating seabirds and marine mammals.

To reduce the numbers of thousands of people who would flock to the small bay area, and to make the contest accessible to millions more who would not be able to travel there, Mavericks have launched an even more ambitious webcast programme than in 2008 when millions watched live webcast footage.

This season the contest will be be webcast live over the Internet in partnership with Facebook and Ustream, and will be televised live by FLO TV, the San Francisco Giants will host the event at their AT & T Park on the jumbotron, and Jim Beam will host a number of smaller webcast viewing parties at West Coast bars and restaurants - venues to be announced.

For more info, including bio on the surfers, and to sign up to receive a cell phone text message alert as soon as the Contest green light is given (text “MAVERICKS” to 81595): www.maverickssurf.com

pics from Mavericks website

http://lizinsanfrancisco.blogspot.com/2009/08/mavericks-surf-contest-20092010-24.html

Mavericks Surf Contest 2009/2010 - 24 Contestants Named

It's the moment Mavericks fans have been waiting for, the announcement of the doughty 24 who will line up in hope of tackling one of the world's most dangerous waves in the 2009/2010 Mavericks Surf Contest.

The 24 are specially selected among the world's top big wave surfers. They will prepare themselves to be ready to ride the giant chill waves of Mavericks at Half Moon Bay at just 24 hours notice. First, though, they have to wait for Mother Nature to send a gigantic swell across the Pacific with waves deemed to be worthy enough within the contest season of November 1 to the end of March.

A record prize purse of $150,000 has been rolled over from last year.

Among the chosen few is the reigning Mavericks Champion, Greg Long of San Clemente, who won the title in 2008. Last season there was no contest because of a lack of waves. Instead, he gloried in winning Ride of the Year in the 2009 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards - the Oscars of surfing - and being nominated for Surfline Best Overall Performance Award.

He will be facing tough competition from Darryl 'Flea' Virostko who achieved a hat trick by becoming Mavericks Champion in the first three contests held in 1999, 2000 and 2004. 'Anywhere in the world, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who so perfectly combines a crazy, almost reckless attitude with raw ability,' says his Mavericks bio.

'Flea', from Santa Cruz, withdrew from injury in 2005 and the title passed to Anthony Tashnick, also from Santa Cruz and another hopeful this season. Anthony is listed as an 'alternate' for the prestigious Eddie Aikau contest in Hawaii for the third year in a row.

Also in the line-up is Grant 'Twiggy' Baker of Durban, South Africa, the Mavericks Champion of 2006 and last year's runner up. 'Twiggy,' says his Mavericks bio, had a 'stunning big-wave summer in South Africa, earning Billabong XXL nominations for Biggest Wave, Monster Paddle and Ride of the Year'. Another achievement is to be a main-list entry in the Eddie Aikau contest for the first time.

San Francisco's Grant Washburn, a finalist in '04, '06 and '08, has been surfing at Mavericks for many years alongside the now-deposed Contest Director and legendary pioneer of The Wave, Jeff Clark. Of all those in the line-up, Grant, described as having arms like oars, is considered to be the one with the most experience.

Not only a surfer, he is a filmmaker who has made documentaries and helped to produce books on The Wave. He coedited 'Inside Maverick's: Portrait of a Monster Wave', to which many of the surfers taking part this season contributed.

He is joined both in the event and surfer-writer world by Evan Slater of San Clemente, editor of Surfer Magazine.

Someone for whom the trophy seems to have slipped tantalisingly from him over the years is Pete Mel of Santa Cruz - 'To say that he's due would be putting it mildly. For years, Mel has been the hands-down choice as Mavericks most talented, influential surfer.' A pioneer of the Northern California tow-in movement, he is one of the two most known surfers from the area in Hawaiian competitions.

Brazilian Carlos Burle was winner of the Biggest Wave honors in 2002 for a colossal 68 ft Mavericks wave and was nominated for Monster Tube and Ride of the Year in the 2009 Billabong XXL awards.

Other contestants, all of whom have achieved distinctions in this life-threatening sport are: Hawaiians Brock Little, Jamie Sterling, third in the last contest, and Dave Wassell; Chris Bertish of South Africa - 'known to pull into any barrel at any size – the quickest way to gain respect in the big-wave surfing community.'; Ben Andrews of San Francisco and Nathan Fletcher of San Clemente, both of whom were injured and unable to compete last year; Matt Ambrose, a finalist in three of the last four contests and Shawn Rhodes, both of Pacifica, south of San Francisco - quote by Jeff Clark: “Shawn’s the kind of guy you see out at Mavericks when everyone else is running for cover.”

Another contingent are from Santa Cruz: Josh Loya; Shane Desmond - 'undoubtedly the most accomplished backside surfer in Mavericks' history' and a 2005 XXL winner of the Paddle-in award for a ride accomplished in the Mavericks contest; Zach Wormhoudt - 'among the most accomplished tow-surfers in the world, earning a Biggest Wave nomination in the 2009 Billabong XXL awards.'; Tyler Smith; and Kenny 'Skindog' Collins - 'In the summer of '06, he came out of a massive tube at Puerto Escondido - one of the most sensational performances ever witnessed at the famed Mexico break - to win both Ride of the Year and Monster Tube in the Billabong XXL awards.'

And there are two surfers from Half Moon Bay itself, Ion Banner, the first truly local guy to make the main list as Jeff Clark kept himself out of the competition when he was running it. Of Ion, it is said, 'Always a standout in past contests, Banner gained singular recognition last year for his amazing air-drops and whimsical switch-stance maneuvers.'; and Tim West - 'Best of the up-and-coming younger generation from the Half Moon Bay coastside', Tim made Mavericks headlines in 2005 when a shark buried a tooth in his board. See http://www.surfingmagazine.com/news/surfing-pulse/shark-110405/ for the dramatic story.

One notable missing from this year's contest, however, is Jeff Clark. In an epic boardroom battle earlier this year, the man who discovered the Mavericks wave claims to have been pushed down and under. In his place is Keir J. Beadling, CEO of Mavericks Surf Ventures.

Seemingly, the cause of the battle is over the momentous decision of when to call the contest. Some years, in 2007 and 2009, Jeff as Contest Director never made that call. Not only is he no longer Contest Director but all mention of him has been deleted from the Mavericks website.

There was no contest, either, for three years between 2001 - 2003 due to sponsorship difficulties. This season the contest window opens on November 1 instead of January 1 due to increased sponsorship from Sony Ericsson.

What makes Mavericks to be 'like no other place on the planet'? It is waves often as high as 50 ft, very strong currents, dangerous rocks, shallow reefs and bone-chilling water.

Greg Long and Grant Washburn suffered competition-worthy wipeouts last year. Also 'Flea' Virostko 'on a face conservatively measured at 65 feet.'

Evan Slater knows injury from The Wave. He writes in Grant's book: 'Even after surviving countless beatings and a handful of two-wave hold-downs, I still have no clue why there's a 99.9 per cent wipeout survival rate at Maverick's. Every time you go through one, you wonder in midthrashing, "Is this the end for me?'''

Somewhere betweeen November 2009 and March 2010, these 24 surfing daredevils hope for the opportunity to pitch their skills against each other and Mother Nature...and come out alive.

For more info: maverickssurf.com

Premier of Mavericks Big Wave Surfing TV Show

A TV show featuring some of the world's best big wave surfers and their rides at Mavericks is being premiered on FUEL TV in August.

Titled 'The Very Best of Mavericks', the show will be a thrilling spectacle of surfing one of the most dangerous waves in the world.

Mavericks is at Half Moon Bay, about an hour from San Francisco, where waves can swell to as high as 50 ft with strong currents, dangerous rocks and very cold temperatures.

The TV premier is on August 27 at 5 pm Pacific Time. It will be screened throughout the rest of August and into the first two weeks of September.

'Program your VCR, set your Tivo, ask your grandmother to call you, write it down on a sticky note - do whatever you gotta do....But don't miss "The Very Best of Mavericks"...'! say the Mavericks team.

For the TV schedule: http://www.maverickssurf.com/Pulse/archive/2009/July/TVBOM.asp

For the first time, the Mavericks Surf Contest season is to open in November. From November 1, 24 of the world's top big wave surfers who have been specially selected will remain on 24-hour alert waiting for mega waves to roll in from the Pacific. The contest season lasts until the end of March.

Last season there was no contest due to the lack of waves. The 2008 Mavericks champion is Greg Long of San Clemente.

Mavericks - November 1 Opening Season

The season for the Mavericks Surf Contest, one of the most dangerous big-wave surfing competitions in the world, is set to open for the first time ever on November 1 instead of in January.

This means that 24 of the world's top big-wave surfers now have from November 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010 for a chance that Mother Nature will produce a stupendous-enough swell at Half Moon Bay to allow the contest to take place.

Mavericks CEO, Keir J Beadling, said, 'We’re thrilled to announce that this year’s big-wave contest season will begin earlier than ever before. We have long understood the importance of increasing the size of the contest window, but haven’t been able to do so.

'Last season’s events further highlighted how valuable a November opening date can be. Now, thanks to the support of everyone involved with the contest, we will make the November opening a reality.'

During the open season, the surfers, who are specially-selected by Mavericks pioneer and Contest Director, Jeff Clark, remain on 24-hour alert. Defending 2008 Champion is Greg Long of San Clemente, south of LA.

Their biggest-ever prize of $150,000, donated by Moose Guen and Jane Sutherland of MVision, and Barracuda Networks, rolls over from last season.

Last season the contest window closed without a contest simply because not enough of a Pacific swell appeared. To rub salt into the wound, the November Thanksgiving weekend produced 30 ft - 45 ft waves that were described as 'two of the most perfect days ever seen' there.

Many of the world's greatest surfers swarmed to Mavericks and achieved so many stunning rides that there was a record number of entries in the Monster Paddle section of the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards in April, known as the 'Oscars' of surfing.

While Jeff Clark, Keir Beadling and the Mavericks team were left kicking frustrated heels in the sand. They simply did not have enough sponsorship money to open the contest window for six months, even though they had often seen great waves in November and nothing of contest standards between January and March.

Now this has changed. 'We are grateful to our sponsor partners whose support was vital to making the opening of the contest season in November a reality, and for ensuring that the surfers will be competing for a record-breaking $150,000 prize purse.

'We are fortunate that all of our sponsor partners recognize the importance of opening the contest window on November 1, and that they have demonstrated their commitment to making sure we are able to do so,' said Keir Beadling.

As the contest nears, fans will be able to go onto text and email alert for the call that leads to the mad dash to Half Moon Bay, about an hour away from San Francisco.

In the interim, there are surfing treats on the way. The TV premiere of the 'Very Best of Mavericks' will be aired by Fuel TV in August, promised as 'stunning footage' of Mavericks surfing over the past several years.

Also upcoming is the Mavericks Live Tour™ Concert Series, details of which will appear on www.maverickssurf.com.

'Although the contest season is still a few months away, we celebrate Mavericks all year round,' commented Keir Beadling. 'Between the Fuel TV show and the upcoming Mavericks Live Tour concert series, fans should have enough to hold them over as they await the start of the 2009/2010 contest season.'

The Mavericks™ motto is this:

'Coined as "the wave beyond," the Mavericks™ brand inspires hardcore athletes to face the unpredictably raw power of Mother Nature, and stirs the souls of those who aspire to challenge their own limits. Mavericks remains true to its core: a cold, mysterious and foreboding place that demands respect from everyone who goes there and inspires them to attempt the extraordinary.'

Mavericks Success in XXL Awards

Mavericks surfers are glowing with success after the 2009 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards in Los Angeles.

Greg Long out-surfed his fellow riders to win the coveted Ride of the Year award and $50,000, though for a ride in Cape Town, not at Mavericks.

The ninth annual awards, called the Oscars of surfing, drew over 2,000 top surfers and members of the industry and were presented on Friday in the Grove Theater in Anaheim by Mavericks pioneer and Contest Director, Jeff Clark.

'I am glad to have won this as a paddle in wave and without a PWC, - Jet Ski - because most recognized big wave surfers will tell you this is the most difficult of the two,' said Greg, aged 26 and the 2008 Mavericks Champion from San Clemente, south of Los Angeles.

'To catch a wave on your own power is an unbelievable feeling,' he is quoted as saying in Surfersvillage Global Surf News

Greg's achievement came in the Red Bull Big Wave Africa contest last July at Dungeons, off Cape Town. It came with the distinction of being the only entry in the Ride of the Year Category that was a paddle in, all the other rides being with the help of a Jet Ski.

'Paddling into a monster Dungeons peak and banking off the bottom into a huge tube ride, Long walked a fine line between glory and the punishing of a lifetime, before being spat out into the channel,' said Surfersvillage in their report.

The award is another notch for Greg in a line of successes in the Billabong awards. Under his board are also the Biggest Wave Award for the 2006/2007 season, the Monster Paddle Award '07/'08, and two Best Over All Performance Awards for '07/'08 and '03/'04.

'I am feeling great, it’s my fifth time and now it’s the big one,' said Long. 'That is what is so amazing about this event, it brings everyone together at the end of the year.

'When we are out there riding waves, this is the last thing on our mind, we are out there because we love it.'

Greg had also been short-listed, along with San Franciscan surfer and filmmaker, Grant Washburn, and others, for the Verizon Wipeout Award, but this went deservedly to Australian surfer Ross Clarke-Jones for a 'near life-ending battering' off the Tasmanian coast. For the first time, this aspect of the awards were voted on by the public.

But Mavericks did feature in the honours for Monster Paddle Award - surfing without a tow-in from a Jet Ski - when Derek Dunfee of San Diego came out top. Derek, of San Diego, 'used perfect positioning to complete a classic big wave ride' at Mavericks on November 30, '08, one of two days at Thanksgiving weekend that were arguably the best ever at Half Moon Bay.

Derek beat Grant 'Twiggy' Baker, from South Africa, who with Rusty Long, has just surfed a record 100ft wave hundreds of miles off Chile, and Californian Nathan Fletcher, competiton entries that were also from those two epic days at Mavericks.

'That day was the best day of my life and I wasn’t sure if I was getting nominated,' said Derek.

'I am 26 and I feel pretty honored to win and be up here with guys I have been looking up to all my life. I want to continue to work my way up and this could be a true turning point to the next stage of my big wave surfing career.'

Twiggy, however, triumphed in both the XXL Biggest Wave Award, and the Surfline Men's Best Overall Performance when he beat fellow-nominee Greg Long. For the Overall Performance, the judges, who are a global panel composed of 250 surf industry, former pros and big wave specialists, gave him top marks for surfing skills exhibited in his win in the Red Bull Big Wave Africa event, a tow-in wave at nearby Tafelberg Reef, and feats at Mavericks and in Mexico.

His prizes were $20,000 and a new Honda Aquatrax PWC.

'When you look at my eyes right now, you can see that I am pretty pumped. Yeah, it is an amazing feeling, not just to myself but also to my family back home in South Africa,' he said.

'It is an honor to win Best Overall Performance and to be the first South African to do it,' he said.

He surfed the Biggest Wave at Tafelberg Reef, a wave claimed to be the biggest ever tackled in his home country of South Africa.

Surfersvillage commented, 'The victories came as a long overdue reward for (the) diminutive natural footer, who has been consistently nominated since the XXL awards’ inception but never taken out a win.'

For full reports and pics of the Billabong awards: www.billabongxxl.com www.maverickssurf.com and www.surfersvillage.com

Pics: Greg Long receiving his award; Derek Dunfee at Mavericks; Twiggy Baker receiving his award; Greg Long, Jeff Clark, Jamie Sterling and Frank Quirarte, photo by Seth Migdail

Mavericks Surfers & Photographers in XXL Awards

Nominations for this year's Oscars of the surfing world have been released with a clutch of Mavericks

surfers and photographers riding high among them.


Mavericks pioneer Jeff Clark - pic lower left - will also be a presenter at the 2009 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards to be held at the Grove Theater in Anaheim, California on Friday, April 17.

Nominations, selected from over 550 images, are for the Billabong XXL’s 'most revered categories, including the $50,000 Ride of the Year, XXL Biggest Wave, Monster Paddle and Monster Tube,' says the Billabong press release.

'In all, over $130,000 in prize money will be awarded when the winners are revealed at the XXL-night festivities, a festive red carpet evening which has grown to be known as the Oscars of surfing.'

The Thanksgiving weekend produced swells of 30 ft to 45 ft at Mavericks, Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, in what has been described on the BillabongXXL.com website as 'two of the most perfect days ever seen' there.

The result was that the Monster Paddle division of the competition was inundated with spectacular rides that not only contributed to a record number of entries overall but 'raised the bar ever higher' in the class, ie surfing without a tow-in from a jet ski.

Of the finalists, says the press release, 'three rides come from what may be the best day ever at Maverick’s' with Grant 'Twiggy' Baker of Durban, South Africa, and Californians Nathan Fletcher and Derek Dunfee.

Together with Rusty Long - pic of them both at Mavericks above - Twiggy is just surfacing from an April 1 roller coaster of an event, headlining around the world for an apparent breaking of the 100ft surfing barrier off the coast of Chile!!! A video, 'A day with Twiggy' featured on Fuel TV's 'The Daily Habit' by Powerlines Productions, that filmed him at Ocean Beach, San Francisco, has just been posted on the maverickssurf.com website

For the first time ever, competition organizers have thrown open the fun Verizon Wireless Wipeout Award to a public vote. Surfing fans are invited via the Billabong website to text for one of five contenders.

From California these include Greg Long and his 'eardrum-bursting depth charge at Maverick’s,' - pic top right - from which he was rescued by Jeff Clark on a jet ski, and the San Francisco surfer and filmmaker, Grant Washburn, and his 'cockroach-influenced backslide down the face at Maverick’s...'

The top prize of $50,000 for the Billabong XXL Ride of the Year Award will go to the
'surfer with the single most amazing performance on a big wave captured on video'.

Among the five winning nominations for this are Greg Long 'for one of the biggest paddle-in barrels ever seen during the Red Bull Big Wave Africa event at Dungeons,' and California’s Brian Conley with what Billabong say is 'a new twist', nominated 'both for escaping a deep tube in Mexico, and for filming it as well, using a hand-held Point-Of-View camera throughout the ride.'

Nominees for the Surfline Best Overall Performance Award include Grant “Twiggy” Baker 'whose highlights include winning the Red Bull Big Wave Africa event at Cape Town’s Dungeons, riding a huge tow-in wave at nearby Tafelberg Reef and a dominating session on an epic day at Maverick’s near San Francisco,' and Greg Long 'for a year which included a perfect 10 point barrel ride at Dungeons, an eardrum-bursting bomb at Maverick’s, gaping storm tubes in Ireland and runs to Chile and the Pacific Northwest...'

Among the girls there are three finalists for the top $5,000 prize for the Billabong Girls Performance Award. One is 'perennial finalist Jamilah Star for some intimidating drops at the legendary Maverick’s break...'

This will be the ninth annual Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards presented by Monster Energy. Scores of big wave surfing’s elite will be gathered that night along with some 2,250 surf industry VIPs, says the Billabong press release.

pics above taken from the Billabong and Mavericks websites

For all details about the competition and a feast of big wave pics and videos see the website at www.BillabongXXL.com.

The entire show will be carried on a live webcast at BillabongXXL.com and will be the subject of a one-hour TV special on ESPN2 on the evening of May 29, 2009.