O.C. surfers make list for big-wave award
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Two local surfers have made the cut on the nominee list for the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards and are vying for the big prize of $50,000 - a recognition that comes with taking on some of the biggest and most dangerous waves in the world.
San Clemente's Greg Long is nominated for the Ride of the Year award with a bomb he caught at Puerto Escondido in Mexico on March 19.
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Long has won the most awards of any other surfer at the Billabong XXL, for accomplishments in various categories, and is considered one of the top big-wave riders in the world among the elite list of surfers that scour the world for the biggest waves they can find. A few years ago, he won what many regard as the most prestigious award in big-wave riding – taking top spot at the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau contest by beating out now 11-time World Champ Kelly Slater.
In the video footage of Long's massive wave in Mexico, he dropped down a tower of water and cranks on the bottom to get into the right-hander, ducking behind a barrel for a second before the wave gets gritty and raw, looking like it's about to smash him – he propels out of the wave, his body turning upside down as he's launched into the air.
San Clemente's Nathan Fletcher is also looking solid with this wave he caught Aug. 27 at Teahupoo, Tahiti.
It was during a massive swell that Fletcher got into this death-defying left-hander, heavy water dumping right in front of him as the water forms a thick curtain in front of him. He's sucked into a white avalanche of water, disappearing from the cameras.
Fletcher is also nominated for the Monster Tube Award for the wave at Teahupoo, Tahiti on August 27.
The 2012 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards fueled by Monster Energy is the biggest awards for this elite group of daring surfers, withe the winners announced at an event at the National Grove in Anaheim on May 4. Nominees for the categories – which include Ride of the Year, Monster Paddle Wave and Monster Tube – came from more than 1,000 submissions.
Here's more from the announcement:
The 12 months leading up to the end of the annual XXL cycle at the end of the Northern Hemisphere 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. To view all the nominated rides, please see the event website atwww.BillabongXXL.com.
Nominees in the remaining categories will be announced on April 9, including Surfline Best Overall Performance Award (male), the Billabong Girls Best Performance Award (female) and the ever-popular Verizon Wipeout Award.
HERE'S THE FULL LIST OF NOMINEES: 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.)Greg Long (San Clemente, California, USA) at Puerto Escondido, Mexico on May 19, 2011.(Video by Alejandro Berger.)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.)FIVE MONSTER PADDLE AWARD NOMINEES(Surfer prize $15,000 - Photo/video prize $4,000)Ken "Skindog" Collins (Santa Cruz, California, USA) at Maverick's, California on February 8, 2012.(Photos by Robert Brown and Frank Quirarte. Video by The Go Big Project.)Danilo Couto (Bahia, Brazil) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on January 4, 2012.(Photo by Fred Pompermayer. Video by Greg Browning.)Shane Dorian (Kona, Hawaii, USA) at Jaws, Hawaii, on January 4, 2012.(Photos by Bidu, Tracy Kraft, Bruno Lemos, Jason Murray and Fred Pompermayer. Video by Elliot Leboe.)Jamie Mitchell (Gold Coast, Australia) at Todos Santos, Mexico on January 6, 2012.(Photo by Jason Murray. Video by Graham Nash.)Dave Wassel (Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on January 4, 2012.(Photos by Eric Aeder, Frank Berthuot, Bruno Lemos, Mike Neal and Fred Pompermayer. Video by Bruno Lemos.)FIVE BILLABONG XXL BIGGEST WAVE AWARD NOMINEES(Surfer prize $15,000 - Photo/video prize $4,000)Andrew Cotton (Croyde, Devon, United Kingdom) at Mullaghmore Head, Ireland on March 8, 2012.(Photos by Andrew Kilfeather, Conn Osbourne and David Olsthoorn. Video by Jamie Russell.)Garrett McNamara (Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA) at Priaia do Norte, Nazaré, Portugal on November 1, 2011.(Photo by Wilson Ribeiro. Video by Jorge Leal.)Axi Muniain (Zarautz, Basque Country) at Agiti, Spain on December 15, 2011.(Photo by Eric Chauche. Video by Walter Lang.)Ollie O'Flaherty (Lahinch, County Clare, Ireland) at Mullaghmore Head, Ireland on March 8, 2012.(Photos by Christian McLeod and Matt Strathern. Video by Mark Waters.)Damien "Taco" Warr (Yallingup, Western Australia) at Cow Bombie, Western Australia on October 16, 2011.(Photo by Jamie Scott. Video by Rick Jakovich.)FIVE MONSTER TUBE AWARD NOMINEES(Surfer prize $5,000 - Still photography prize $2,000)Kohl Christensen (Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA) at Cloudbreak, Fiji on July 12, 2011.(Photos by Brian Bielmann and Bruno Lemos.)Nathan Fletcher (San Juan Capistrano, California, USA) at Teahupoo, Tahiti on August 27, 2011.(Photos by Brian Bielmann, Pete Frieden, Bruno Lemos, Tim McKenna and Benjamin Thouard.)Tyler Hollmer-Cross (Hobart, Tasmania, Australia) at Shipstern Bluff, Tasmania on May 17, 2011.(Photo by Andrew Chisholm.)Bruce Irons (Hanalei, Hawaii, USA) at Teahupoo, Tahiti on August 27, 2011.(Photos by Brian Bielmann, Tim McKenna, Fred Pompermayer, Pat Stacy and Benjamin Thouard.)Everaldo "Pato" Teixeira (Florianopolis, Brazil) at Teahupoo, Tahiti on August 27, 2011.(Photos by Tim McKenna, Fred Pompermayer and Benjamin Thouard.)
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