Current points leader Twig making the drop at Mavs. Photo: Nick Allen
The Big Wave World Tour is blowing up, just like you thought it would. The Body Glove Mavericks Invitational had 1.3 million unique visitors viewing last week, which is pretty damn good for a branch of surfing that, until a few years ago, was basically pretty unorganized.
There are two events left on the circuit: the Seatka Pro Oregon at Nelscott Reef and the Dive N’ Surf at Todos Santos, both of which, when conditions are right, offer some of the most spectacularly entertaining big waves in the world. There are a few different scenarios that could play out in the two upcoming events.
Grant “Twiggy” Baker’s back-to-back wins at Punta Galea and Mavericks put him in a great spot to win the Xpreshon Big Wave World Title – for now, at least. Currently sitting at the top of the ratings, Baker has amassed 2000 points, while Ken Collins, the next in line, has 1059.38.
Although he has almost double the points of his nearest competition, Baker’s not quite out of the woods yet. The BWWT’s points system has this neat little twist that they call the Points Coefficient. In a nutshell, the bigger the waves get, the bigger the potential scoring disparity. Here’s how it works: wave sizes are broken up into groups. At 30-36, the points coefficient is at 100%. So, according to the chart at the right, first place gets 1000 points, second gets 810, third gets 630, and so on. But if the waves hit that terrifying 50 foot mark, that 1000 points turns into 1400 points, according to the point coefficient.
So let’s say the waves at Todos hit fifty feet. We’re all sitting there swearing at a webcast that is probably having a few technical issues. Ken Collins places first and gets his 1400 points, and Twig places third, which in fifty-foot waves, turns into 882 points. Twig’s still sitting pretty atop the rankings, right? But when we get to the next contest on the BBWT, and the waves are in the 24-30 foot range… then Twig’s got a problem, because the points coefficient only affords him 85% of what it would in the 30-36 foot range. See how interesting that is? And confusing? Trust me, it makes it exciting.
Skindog, too, is sounding pretty confident. Ken Collins in second position on the rankings is optimistic. “I don’t think I’ve tapped into my inner fire yet . When you’re on fire, it’s easy to get injured or burned out,” he said in a press release. “I’m actually hoping to take it to the next level for the final two events of the season.”
Xpreshon Big Wave World Tour Top Ten Rankings after Body Glove Mavericks Invitational
1 Grant Baker 2000.00
2 Ken Collins 1059.38
3 Nic Lamb 905.00
4 Shane Dorian 810.00
5 Ryan Augenstein 630.00
6 Greg Long 629.38
6 Ramon Navarro 629.38
8 Tyler Fox 540.00
8 Adur Letamendia 540.00
10 Jamie Mitchell 429.38
