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 Nominees Announced in 2012 Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards; Biggest and Best Rides to be Honored at May 4

Gala in California.

 

NEWPORT BEACH, CA - (March 29, 2012) - The nominees have just been announced for the 2012 Billabong XXL Global

Big Wave Awards fueled by Monster Energy, and the surfing community is bracing for another epic showdown of the biggest

waves and greatest rides witnessed worldwide over the last year. 
  
The 12 months leading up to the end of the annual XXL cycle at the end of the Northern Hemisphere spring 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 at www.BillabongXXL.com. 
  
The winners will be announced at the invitation-only Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards party at the Grove Theater in Anaheim,

California on May 4, 2012. The show will be webcast that night on YouTube's Newtork A, and will be broadcast as a one-hour

program on FUEL TV on Sunday, May 20 at 3 P.M. PT. This year's event marks the 12th-annual edition of the Billabong XXL

Big Wave Awards, an event open to every qualified surfer at every break on every day of the year, so long as the action is

captured by a video or still camera and submitted for judging by the XXL's voting academy of expert surfers and lensmen.

Over 1,000 images were entered into the event before being filtered down to the best five stills and single definitive video clip

of each nominated ride. 

 

In the all-important Billabong XXL Ride of the Year category, there are five very different waves in contention, all ridden in

very different regions around the planet. In consideration for the $50,000 winner's prize are a pair of Southern Californians:

Nathan Fletcher for his earth-shattering barrel at Teahupoo, Tahiti and Greg Long for his paddle-in tube at Puerto Escondido,

Mexico. Two Australians are also represented, including Ryan Hipwood for his long, spitting pipe of a wave at Cloudbreak,

Fiji and upstart Jeff Rowley for a hair-raising late paddle drop and pocket ride at Jaws on Maui (a spot generally believed

to be a tow-surfing-only location prior to the last two winters). Rounding out the five is the lone Hawaiian, Garrett McNamara,

for his plunge into a massive face off the coast of Portugal, a feat that earned the big wave veteran global headlines in

November. 
  
A video summary of all five Ride of the Year Nominees assembled into a single clip may be viewed or embedded via this

YouTube link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3lzKhlT8rI 
  
The theme of recent years to push the envelope of what is possible in the realm of arm-powered surfing has continued

unabated with another slate of stunning nominees in the highly-regarded Monster Paddle division. Earning spots as finalists

for 2012 are: Santa Cruz's Ken "Skindog" Collins at Maverick's near San Francisco, California; Australian Jamie Mitchell at

Todos Santos Island off Ensenada, Mexico; and Brazil's Danilo Couto, Oahu's Dave Wassel and Big Islander Shane Dorian

all being recognized for man-handling huge, windy walls at Jaws, on the north shore of Maui. The five Monster Paddle rides

may be reviewed on video by clicking HERE. 
  
In the XXL Biggest Wave category (open to waves caught with jet skis or any other means), another five rides are being

honored for maximum height -- pure and simple. McNamara is nominated once more for his Portugal ride, which will be

compared to two dark and frigid late-season Irish giants ridden at Mullaghmore Head by local Ollie O'Flaherty and the UK's

Andrew Cotton. Adding to the European domination of the Biggest Wave division this year is a clean, green ride by Basque

surfer Axi Muniain at Agiti, on the northern coast of Spain. Joining the four Euro Zone rides is a beautiful big blue bomb of a

wave at Cow Bombie in Western Australia, precisely ridden from start to finish by W.A.'s own Damien "Taco" Warr. To view

clips of the XXL finalists, click this LINK. 
  
Nominees have also been announced for the Monster Tube Award. All the surfers, photographers and videographers are

listed below and all the nominated still and video images can be viewed at the event website at www.BillabongXXL.com.

The 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. 
  
The nominees for 2012, in alphabetical order: 
  
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.) 
  
The Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards are fueled by Monster Energy. Verizon Wireless is the official communications

provider and Surfline.com is the exclusive surf forecast of the XXL. Sony is the official electronics supporter and Contour

the exclusive provider of point of view cameras. The event is sponsored by Surfing Magazine and Air Tahiti Nui airlines. 

 

Billabong congratulates team rider Taj Burrow for taking out his third Quiksilver Pro title. The win places Taj at the top of the ASP Men’s Tour world rankings

and sets him up for another exciting year. The Gold Coast has been good to Taj. He has won at Snapper Rocks in 2001, 2010, was a finalist behind Kelly

Slater last year, and now has beaten the pack one more time to set up his world title campaign in perfect fashion.

The crowds on the final day at Snapper Rocks were mostly Brazilian, a throng cheering passionately for their beloved “Minierinho”, Adriano De Souza. But

Burrow dug deep, went high, went low and did everything required to pip Minierinho at the post – a little revenge on the man who got the better of him in his

home waters last year. 

“When I found myself against Adriano, I was really nervous because he got me in  Final in Brazil last year,” explained Taj. “He’s really tough and I don’t like

competing against him to be honest. There was a lot of weight on my shoulders in that Final so it’s pretty rewarding to come out on top.“I’ve been going for

the ASP World Title for a while now... I don’t know what to say. I just want to surf my best and hope that the rest falls into place. I love Bells. I love throwing

on a full wetsuit and doing some big arcs in the Bells Bowl.”

That much Taj is certainly capable of. He has won at Bells. He has also won in Brazil – the Tour’s next two stops.

Burrow for world champ? We’d like to see that! A huge congrats to all the competitors who put on an awesome show the past 10-12 days!

The Perfect Blend Of Classic & Clever, Nixon Introduces The Wit

Mullaghmore, IRELAND (Wednesday 1^st March 2012) The waiting period for the Billabong Tow In Session, Ireland presented by Monster Energy,