Billy Kemper took home the most prestigious award at the Big Wave Awards: the Ride of the Year.
Last night was a big night for surfing. It was the annual Big Wave Awards, set in Huntington Beach. It was, to use an over-used phrase in surfing, a changing of the guards. There was no Shane Dorian. No Mark Healey. Although both Greg Long and Grant Baker were both nominated the group that has dominated the big wave scene for a long time didn’t win any awards. In the end, though, the awards are just the icing on the cake–they’d all be doing it either way.
The Big Wave Awards consist of seven categories: Ride of the Year, Biggest Paddle, Biggest Wave, Best Tube, Best Wipeout, Men’s Performance, and Women’s Performance. With $350,000 in prize money to be won, it’s no small affair.
Ride of the Year: Billy Kemper
During the Jaws event, Billy Kemper was determined to defend his title. The Maui local won the previous year as a wildcard and staked his claim as one of the best surfers to ever ride Peahi. With 2o minutes left in the heat, Kemper committed to a wave of enormous proportions.
Biggest Paddle: Ben Andrews
Ben Andrews isn’t exactly a household name in surfing. He’s a regular out at Maverick’s when the waves get huge, though, and he’s always a standout. It was only a matter of time before he won this award. Back in November of 2016, Andrews turned up to surf a very, very big swell at California’s most famous big wave spots, and those who witnessed the event in person were awestruck by the wave you see above.
“I wasn’t sure I’d be up here for this,” he said after he won. “All these waves look about as big as each other to me. Thanks WSL for giving me the nod…I’m proud and really honored.”
TAG Heuer XXL Biggest Wave Award: Francisco Porcella
The Porcella brothers are madmen. Remember their wipeout reel released in February? Francisco is one of those people that spends his entire life trying to scare himself senseless, and when a huge swell pops up on the charts anywhere in the world, he’s almost guaranteed to be there. He’s also almost guaranteed to be one of the best performers out there on any given day. “It’s been a long time coming to be up here tonight,” he said. “I’ve been putting in my time but mother nature rewarded me that day.” The wave you see above occurred on February 28th, just one day of a Nazaré swell event that changed big wave surfing forever. At 73 feet, it is nothing short of spectacular.
Best Tube: Shanan Worrall
Shanan Worrell, under the radar… and the thickest curtain. Photo: Jamie Scott/Big Wave Awards
Shanan Worrall flies under the radar. Lucky for us, though, when someone does something as spectacular as he did at The Right, any and all radars pick it up, no matter how low he is. The Right, undoubtedly one of the scariest waves on earth, attracts a certain kind of person, and Worrell is one of them. This is a tube that only a handful of people on earth could navigate, and on that particular day, he did it better than anyone else… despite his modesty. “Thanks Jamie Scott who took that photos,” he said. “that’s probably just lucky, because everyone got good waves that day.”
Best Wipeout: Wilem Banks
Wipeout of the Year isn’t exactly something anyone tries to win. It does, though, come part and parcel with trying to score the biggest and best waves in one’s life, and Wilem Banks was doing just that when he committed 100% to a wave at Maverick’s that quickly turned ugly. “I hope I’m never in this position again,” he said amid cheers from the crowd. “I hope I’m able to make them.”
Men’s Performance: Jamie Mitchell
Jamie Mitchell is in a league of his own. You probably know him for his big wave exploits, but his oceanic talents go much deeper. He does everything. Whether it’s paddling, canoeing, hydrofoiling, spearing, Mitchell does it, and he does it well. The wave above is just one example of his skill in larger-than-life waves. He’s also a ten-time winner of a the Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard World Championship, for God’s sake. “This really is dedicated to my wife and my little baby daughter at home,” he said. “Thank you to everyone here. You all inspire me and push me to chase every swell and probably the ones that I shouldn’t.”
Women’s Performance: Paige Alms
This comes as no surprise to anyone. Alms has been pushing women’s (and men’s, for that matter) for a long time, but never as hard as she did over the last year. It seemed that at every Jaws swell, she tested her limits just a little bit more, and it doesn’t seem as though she has any. “I am honestly in disbelief,” she said to a crowd that probably would have been in disbelief if she didn’t win. “To be amongst this group of women is just insane. I am super excited to see where they take the tour next year for the women. A huge shoutout to all the women that inspire me to do my best and continue to push the level of women’s surfing and to be a better person, friend, and athlete.”
