NEWPORT BEACH, CA — (January 8, 2009) — The promise of the El Nino winter appears to have delivered for big wave surfers, as many long-standing records are ready to fall in this year’s Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards presented by Monster Energy. And more than ever before, the Monster Paddle category (just for surfers who catch their waves without any jet ski assistance) has taken center stage as the elite of the sport refocus on this elemental man-against-the-sea tradition. Visual evidence of these landmark performances can be viewed at the event website at www.BillabongXXL.com.

While huge swells have blasted nearly every coastline of the planet in recent months, it has been the Hawaiian Islands which have had the most mind-bending proof of the power of the current El Nino weather phenomenon. December 7-8, 2009 saw one of the biggest swells in modern history batter the northern shores of the entire Hawaiian Chain, followed by another extraordinary day of outer reef waves on Christmas. From these historic moments of oceanic grandeur have come images which show several top big wave surfers paddling into what may well be the biggest waves ever caught by human power in the long history of the sport.

Among these superlative rides is a massive dark wall caught by Shane Dorian and Mark Healey which closed out the legendary Waimea Bay on Oahu on December 7. Also up for consideration is another mammoth peak at Waimea ridden by Chile’s Ramon Navarro which earned the South American hero a perfect score in the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau event on December 8. And more recently, grainy, documentary photos have arrived depicting Garrett McNamara paddling into a distant peak at Outer Log Cabins, a rarely-seen outer reef far off the North Shore shoreline, previously only the domain of tow-in surfers with jet-powered watercraft.

All are likely to figure prominently as finalists for the Monster Paddle Award to be given out at the tenth annual Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards to be held in California in late April. A panel of big wave surfing and photography experts will analyze the available images and by interpreting the known sizes of the surfers and their surfboards, calculate reliable height estimates for the face of each wave. One will emerge as the Monster Paddle winner and will receive $15,000 out of the total event purse of $130,000.

The current world record for a paddle-in wave belongs to Taylor Knox of San Diego, California who rode a wave measured at 52 feet at Todos Santos Island off of Ensenada, Mexico during the last major El Nino episode in 1998. Many experts are expecting an update to the Guinness Book of World Records once this winter’s measurements are complete.

Dorian and Healey are veterans of decades of big wave hunting and both concur that their shared ride at Waimea was easily the biggest either had ever caught. “I’d been waiting 15 years for that wave,” said Dorian, of Kona, on the Big Island. “That wave, we could see it from when it was like two or three minutes away from breaking, we could see the wave coming in, everybody’s screaming on the beach and yelling and stuff… When the wave finally came in, it was SO big. The thing was a MONSTER. We both put our heads down and started paddling and somehow we both caught it.

“I was going no matter what,” Dorian added. “And I know Mark felt the same way. It was just fun. A party wave — a wave of that size, and it was for sure the biggest wave I’ve ever paddled into, and to do it with my real good friend, it was very….memorable.”

Mark Healey has lived down the road from Waimea all his life and has been one of its most dedicated practitioners. But he’d never seen waves like this.

“That was the biggest day I’ve ever had at Waimea,” said Healey. “And that wave in particular was definitely by far bigger than anything I’ve ever caught out there, for sure.”

The wave was so large it closed out all the way across the Bay, not allowing the surfers the opportunity to kick out over the top of the wave as usual, and forcing them to straighten out and take the endless tons of whitewater on their heads. But for Healey, a renowned freediver with the ability to hold his breath for over five minutes, it was a fun experience. The longtime friends surfaced unharmed right next to each other, hooting with excitement.

“We were pretty stoked,” said Healey. “Big waves are different, there’s a lot of brotherhood involved, stuff like that. I’d rather have had Shane catch that wave than ride it alone. It was cool to share a wave like that with a friend, and someone I look up to.”

McNamara, another North Shore stalwart, likes his own chances in the Monster Paddle derby. A past winner of the XXL Paddle crown in 2007 for a huge wave at Northern California’s Maverick’s, “GMac” reckons his Outer Logs Christmas present was several notches larger. “I don’t know how big it was,” McNamara said. “But I do know it felt at least ten feet bigger than anything I’ve ever paddled into. The Mavs wave a few years back was small compared to it….”

Remarkably, there may be much, much more to come. This week the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center issued an alert confirming that the current El Nino episode had intensified in the last 30 days from “moderate” to “strong,” adding that the condition would exert a “significant influence on the global weather and climate in the coming months.” And for surfers in the North Pacific basin, that means more enormous waves. According to Surfline.com, major new swell events are lining up in the coming days, impacting the Hawaiian Islands around Monday and the West Coast around Wednesday of next week.

Categories in this year’s event include the Billabong XXL Ride of the Year, XXL Biggest Wave, Monster Paddle, Monster Tube, Surfline Best Performance, Billabong Girls Best Performance and the crowd-pleasing Verizon Wireless Wipeout of the Year. In addition to all the latest entries in each category, full event details including formats, rules and archives of past XXL years can be seen at the event website at www.BillabongXXL.com.

The Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards are presented by Monster Energy. Surfline is the official surf forecast, Verizon Wireless is the official communications provider and Honda Aquatrax the official watercraft. The event is sponsored by Surfing Magazine and Air Tahiti Nui airlines.

***************************

To view a clip of the Shane Dorian/Mark Healey Waimea Monster or to obtain embed codes to
place it on your website, click on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1QMjn8Wu_E

Media Contact

Bill Sharp SurfNewsEd@aol.com 949-548-6740

High resolution still photos, broadcast video in HD and SD and web clips are available for download.

Internationally renowned big-wave charger Chris Bertish has launched an innovative range of sponsorship initiatives, including a comprehensive website, to assist in raising the funds required to participate in the three prestigious big wave events in the USA in November and December to which he has been invited.

 

The website, aptly named www.pleasesponsorchrisbertish.co.za, gives full details of the events he has been invited to compete in, the reasons for his fund-raising functions, a history of his achievements challenging the world’s biggest waves over the past decade and plenty of action images and video footage of his extreme exploits, along with unique ways in which sponsors and donors can benefit from supporting his quest.

 

“For the past 10 years I have dedicated my life to pursuing and riding some of the most challenging waves on the planet, and with your assistance, I’m hoping to take the South African flag even further,” says the 35-year-old Capetonian, explaining that while he has support from some of his loyal sponsors, mounting a challenge on these three international events requires a great deal more funding than he can afford.

 

The events at the notorious monster wave spots of Mavericks in California, Nelscott Reef in Oregon and the Hawaiian Mecca of Makaha, where he will represent South Africa in the inaugural Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) World Championships, all have long holding periods to ensure premium waves and conditions which means Bertish must spend a couple of months overseas waiting for the contests to be run.

 

By donating any amount over R250, donors will have their name or company logo printed on a label and stuck on the surfboards Bertish will ride in the events and when he is practicing while waiting and practicing abroad. By donating R1 000 or more, a sticker twice the size will be pasted on his boards so all donors truly feel like they are part of this unique project.

 

And in the spirit of true watermen who not only look after themselves in giant surf, but also watch out for the well-being of others in the line-up, 10% of all funds received via these sponsorships will be donated to the Reach For A Dream Foundation to help youngsters with life-threatening illnesses to achieve their dreams too.

 

Bertish has also organised a fund-raising function in Cape Town on Sunday 11 October that promises to be both a gathering of the local big-wave fraternity and a great social event. Set for Banana Jam in Kenilworth and running from 3pm-9.30pm, the function features a jazz band, giant screen surf films, freebies to the value of R150 per person and an assortment of unique items that will be auctioned and raffled – all for the price of a R90 entrance ticket.

 

The items up for grabs include the Naish SUP on which he conquered Dungeons, two of his big-wave surfboards, a voucher to accompany Grant Spooner of Marine Scene to watch surfers riding Dungeons, a new Firewire surfboard, Freestyle dive-watch, Ocean Minded Footwear, Coreban and Naish SUP paddles and more.

 

And in keeping with his credo of ‘Sharing is Caring’, Bertish will also donate the first R1 000 raised at the function to the Reach For A Dream Foundation.

 

An accomplished marketing expert who has built and grown several major multi-national brands both in South Africa and internationally, Bertish has compiled a comprehensive plan to publicize his trip and activities that will be featured in all branches of both the mainstream and new media outlets, including a website, Facebook, Twitter and his personal Blog site.

 

He will also be posting unique video footage of big wave surfing on the internet. See the latest example of never-before-seen footage of him riding one of the biggest paddle days ever surfed at Todos Santos Island off the coast of Mexico at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwAmcCKNwZo

 

Full details for the fund-raising function on 11 October, which is sponsored by Banana Jam Café, Corona Premium Beer, Red Bull and Olmeca Tequila, are:

Venue: Banana Jam Café – 157 Second Ave, Kenilworth Date: Sun 11th October 3pm-9:30pm Food: Caribbean / Hawaiian platters Dress: Casual – Hawaiian Shirt / skirt if you have Tickets: R90 300 tickets ONLY at the door, Cash only – First come, first served!

Watch the media for further news of this exceptional athlete’s exploits and details of the fund-raising activities that will provide further unique opportunities to get up close and personal with Chris and the global big wave scene.

 

Chris Bertish can be contacted via chris.oneillrsa@gmail.com or 079 524 8344 and additional information can be found at www.pleasesponsorchrisbertish.co.za

 

Ends

Issued on behalf of:

Chris Bertish
C: 079 524 8344
E: chris.oneillrsa@gmail.com

Compiled & Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax:             +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

 

 

 

South African Chris Bertish, renowned for conquering many of the world’s most challenging big waves, has been invited to compete in three prestigious international big-wave surfing events including the inaugural edition of the of the Stand Up World Tour which will crown the first Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) World Champion later this year.

Invitations to the Mavericks Surf Contest in California, the Nelscott Reef Paddle-in Classic in Oregon and the Stand Up World Tour event at Makaha in Hawaii are recognition for the 35-year-old Capetonian’s pioneering exploits in huge surf around the globe over the past decade.

“I’m truly honoured to be invited to these events where only athletes who have proven themselves in the world’s heaviest waves make the cut,” Bertish said. “I love surfing big waves, it’s my passion, and to be representing South Africa amongst the elite 24 invitee’s from around the globe at Mavericks, the 12 at Nelscott Reef and to be seeded into the top 16 in the world for the first ever SUP World Champs is a huge honour and privilege.”

Bertish’s string of ground-breaking feats include becoming the first surfer to paddle into and ride waves at the primarily tow-in venues of Jaws (Maui, Hawaii), Ghost Trees (California) and the Cribber (Cornwall, England) while at home he introduced Stand Up Paddleboarding at the daunting Dungeons break near Hout Bay and Whale Rock in Table Bay along with being the first to tow-in at Seal Island in False Bay, statistically the most densely populated Great White shark venue in the world.

His accomplishments are not limited to daredevil stunts in mountainous seas as in 2001 he was the first, and to date only, South African surfer to win the Monster Paddle division of the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards, the Oscars of big wave surfing. And he has reached the final of the Red Bull Big Wave Africa event at Dungeons, finishing third in 2006, amongst other notable local and international results and award nominations.

A former Sales & Promotions Manager for Billabong SA, Brand manager for Gul Wetsuits in the UK and for multi-national apparel and wetsuit giant O’Neill in SA, Bertish boasts an impressive marketing CV. In 2007 he introduced the O’Neill Raw Courage Awards which focus on paddling into and riding the biggest waves within the borders of South Africa and recognise and credit the achievements of the country’s rapidly growing brigade of big wave chargers.

Now a brand ambassador and agent for O’Neill and new media marketer for True Blue Surf Travel, Bertish will be conducting various fund-raising activities to assist in covering the considerable costs of his planned two-month campaign to attend these events in California and Hawaii at the end of the year.

“After almost a decade of investing huge amounts of my time, energy and my personal finances, I have now reached the point where I have received invitations to this trio of highly prestigious International events. With a start-up business and the current tight financial situation I need further backing and support to be able to participate in these events,” Bertish explains.

The savvy marketer has already created his own personal blog & Facebook account and will be posting a weekly journal on two high profile South African websites where the public will be able to follow his activities in addition to the media generated from competing in the events. He will also be posting video clips on various new-media platforms, including never before seen footage of riding huge waves taken from a Go Pro camera mounted on his surfboard.

Watch the media for further news of this exceptional athlete’s exploits along with details of the fund-raising functions that will provide unique opportunities to get up close and personal with both Chris and the global big wave scene.

Chris Bertish can be contacted via chris.oneillrsa@gmail.com or 079 524 8344

Ends

Issued on behalf of:

Chris Bertish

C: 079 524 8344
E: chris.oneillrsa@gmail.com

Compiled & Distributed by:

Life’s a Beach Communications
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel: +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax: +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile: +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email: lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

 

THIRD MAJOR SWELL IN A ROW SLAMS SOUTH AFRICA’S DUNGEONS WITH CLASSIC CONDITIONS;
EPIC MONSTER PADDLE SESSION PRODUCES FLOOD OF BILLABONG XXL BIG WAVE AWARD ENTRIES

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — (August 18, 2009) — An El Niño condition may be brewing, but in the Southern Hemisphere there is no more waiting as extraordinary storms have been a regular occurrence over the last several weeks, generating some of the most intense surf seen in years.  Most recently, one of the biggest and best swells to ever hit South Africa arrived last Sunday, producing more eye-popping entries into the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards fueled by Monster Energy.  Those latest photographs may be viewed on the BillabongXXL.com website.

This was the third significant swell to strike the region in ten days, sparking a series of key sessions at the spooky big wave break of Dungeons, off of Cape Town.  A warm-up swell hit the region on August 6, followed by a huge and windy episode on August 11 which saw some massive tow-in waves worthy of the XXL Biggest Wave category.  And on August 16 yet another enormous swell arrived, but this time with pristine sunny weather and light offshore winds — every surfer’s ideal scenario.

According to Surfline forecaster Ken Wallis, “A large complex low pressure system was spinning in the South Atlantic this past week, occupying most of the ocean between South Africa and Argentina. As a result of this consistent storm activity, a series of XXL size southwest swells have been slamming the West Coast of South Africa and, more specifically, the big wave break Dungeons.

“The most recent of these very sizable swells arrived as high pressure briefly settled over the region,” added Wallis, “setting up light wind, clear skies and near flawless conditions.”

Durban’s Grant “Twiggy” Baker — South Africa’s most decorated big wave surfer — was on the scene at Dungeons for the duration, part of the annual “Endless Winter” pilgrimage for the sport’s elite.  But even to Twiggy’s experienced eyes, this recent swell was something special.

“Obviously this was a historic day for us at Dungeons, not just the size of the waves but also how clean it was and that it lasted an entire day,” said Baker. “This is very unusual and the fact that we got to surf it for ten hours straight meant we became very comfortable out there and managed to push ourselves that little further.”

The day’s exploits were yet another clear example of the growing dedication to paddling into ever bigger waves among the top athletes and not simply “grabbing the rope” and utilizing watercraft tow-in assists on extreme surf situations.  In the Billabong XXL Awards, the biggest of these rides qualify as entries in the Monster Paddle Award.  On a number of waves the riders were able to get into the barrel — a special feat which has its own category, the Monster Tube Award.

“The local crew was pushing it all day with James Taylor, Andrew Marr and Mike Baleta standing out,” said Baker of his fellow countrymen.  “Greg Long had some bombs as well.  It’s so important to have the right mix of surfers on a day like this to really help force the level of commitment.”

The Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards, now in its tenth annual cycle, has never experienced such a deluge of world-class entries this early in the season.  Huge Southern Hemisphere storms continue to slam south-facing coastlines worldwide, and many top surfers view this as just the precursor to things to come.  The National Weather Service has announced a strengthening El Niño condition in the world’s oceans, which has many times in the past produced historic swell episodes in the North Pacific for Hawaii and the West Coast of the USA.

Grant Baker is happy with the booming start.  “It’s good to know we have had some big waves in Cape Town this season that will go up against what looks like a major Northern Hemisphere El Niño winter,” he said.

The XXL Awards acknowledge the biggest and best waves ridden anywhere in the world based on the photographic evidence, with the annual awards gala occurring in California each April.  Over $130,000 in prizes are awarded to the top male and female big wave performances in a variety of categories including the XXL Biggest Wave, Monster Tube, Monster Paddle and Verizon Wipeout of the Year.  The top-line Billabong XXL Ride of the Year carries a $50,000 first prize.

In addition to all the latest entries in each category, full event details including formats, rules and archives of past XXL years can be seen at the event website at www.BillabongXXL.com

The Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards are presented by Monster Energy.  Surfline is the official surf forecast, Verizon Wireless is the official communications provider and Honda Aquatrax the official watercraft.  The event is sponsored by Surfing Magazine and Air Tahiti Nui airlines.

ends

PRESS CONTACT
Bill Sharp    SurfNewsEd@aol.com     949-548-6740

Issued on behalf of:  

Billabong South Africa
Contact:            Peter Nicholson
Telephone:        +27 (0) 42 200 2600
Email:               peter.nicholson@billabong.co.za          

Issued by:

Life’s a Beach Communications 
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax:             +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za

MASSIVE SOUTH AFRICAN WAVES ROCK THE 2010 BILLABONG XXL BIG WAVE AWARDS;

GABEIRA RIDES BIGGEST EVER BY A WOMAN — BURLE, LONG & BAKER ALSO GO HUGE

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — (August 13, 2009) — A mad dash from their homes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Cape Town, South Africa paid off for Maya Gabeira and tow surfing partner Carlos Burle as they rode the biggest waves of the season at the notorious Dungeons break this week.  Photos of the South American pair in action are now among the leading contenders in the Biggest Wave category of the 2010 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards presented by Monster Energy.  The entered images may be viewed at the event website at www.BillabongXXL.com.

Also captured challenging some massive walls at the infamously sharky break were Grant “Twiggy” Baker (Durban, South Africa), Andrew Marr (Cape Town, South Africa) and Greg Long (San Clemente, California, USA).  All three have either won or been finalists in the XXL Awards in recent years.

Gabeira, 22, has already won the Billabong Girls Best Performance Award three years running, but on August 11 she reaffirmed her status as the top female in big wave surfing when she charged down an enormous, bumpy face after being towed in by Burle on a personal watercraft.  The duo arrived in Africa five days ahead of the giant swell in order for Gabeira to obtain her skipper’s license to legally operate the jet-powered craft.

According to Gabeira, “My days previous to the big day were the biggest mission ever! The swell came with onshore winds which the waves and ocean bumpy. But in the end of the day everyone had managed to get some bombs and safely finish a day of big surf.

“My biggest wave was just one drop and had a crazy boil in the face that I managed to jump through it,” said Gabeira.  “It was exciting to get that much speed down the face and manage to make such an irregular wave on my backside. Thanks to Carlos I had the biggest waves of my life that day!”

Gabeira was able to return the favor, putting her new driver’s license to work and towing Burle into his share of monsters along the spooky offshore reef.

The tenth annual Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards season runs through March 19, 2010 and acknowledges the biggest and best ridden waves of the year based on the photographic evidence.
Additional entries have also been arriving daily from around the world in all the key event categories including Monster Paddle, Monster Tube and the $50,000 XXL Ride of the Year.

In addition to all the latest entries in each category, full event details including formats, rules and archives of past XXL years can be seen at the event website at www.BillabongXXL.com.

The Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards are presented by Monster Energy.  Surfline is the official surf forecast, Verizon Wireless is the official communications provider and Honda Aquatrax the official watercraft.  The event is sponsored by Surfing Magazine and Air Tahiti Nui airlines.

ends

PRESS CONTACT
Bill Sharp    SurfNewsEd@aol.com     949-548-6740

Issued on behalf of:   
Billabong South Africa
Contact:            Peter Nicholson
Telephone:        +27 (0) 42 200 2600
Email:               peter.nicholson@billabong.co.za          

Issued by:
Life’s a Beach Communications 
PO Box 48272, Kommetjie 7976, South Africa
Tel:              +27 (0) 21 783 4965
Fax:             +27 (0) 86 684 6250
Mobile:         +27 (0) 82 423 1964
Email:           lifesabeach@mweb.co.za