First Stop on the 2013 Big Wave World Tour Kicks Off with a $20,000 Prize Purse

PUNTA DE LOBOS, Pichilemu, Chile (April 17, 2013) – The Quiksilver Ceremonial Chile presented by Subaru will commence this Spring with the world’s top big wave riders competing for a $20,000 prize purse during a contest window spanning April 15- June 15, 2013. The first stop on the 2013 Big Wave World Tour, the Quiksilver Ceremonial is one of the world’s most anticipated big wave events, with hopes that this year’s competition will see massive surf and perfect tubes behind Punta de Lobos’ famous “morros.”

“The big swells in the Northern Hemisphere stop with the end of Winter. Fortunately at the same time, they are just getting started in the Southern Hemisphere as their Winter begins,” said Gary Linden, Big Wave World Tour Director and Contest Director. “The Quiksilver Ceremonial opens its waiting period just as the South Pacific begins to work its magic and the surfers focus on a new set of weather patterns. The endless Winter – a big wave surfer’s dream!”

The 2013 Quiksilver Ceremonial participants include: Jamie Sterling, Kohl Christensen, Carlos Burle, Marcos Monteiro, Peter Mel, Cristian Merello, Greg Long, Gabriel Villarán, Mark Healey, Jaimie Mitchell, Ramón Navarro, Diego Medina, Joao De Macedo, Ken Collins, Frank Soloman, Ben Wilkinson, Zach Wormhoudt, Jose Gomez, Jeff Rowley, Natxo Gonzalez, and four local trials winners. Past winners of the event include Marcos Monteiro (2011), Christian Merello (2010) and Grant “Twiggy” Baker (2009) – in 2012 there was no winner because the event did not run due to lack of contestable waves.

“I’m really excited for the first event of the BWWT,” said Peter Mel, former BWWT Champion and recent winner of the Maverick’s Invitational. “The wave at Punta de Lobos, Chile, is such a huge challenge. I can’t wait to get the season started and catch a few bombs with the whole crew.”

This year’s Ceremonial will feature swell updates from some of the world’s most respected big wave surfers, including Peter Mel, Greg Long, and Ramon Navarro. For more information on the 2013 Quiksilver Ceremonial Chile and to stay updated on the biweekly forecasts, please visit www.Quiksilver.com/Chile. The 2013 Quiksilver Ceremonial Chile would like to thank presenting sponsor Subaru for their support in making this event happen.

About Quiksilver
Quiksilver is committed to providing tools for uncovering, expressing and expanding your personal style. Our aim is to foster the sense of individual expression and excitement – the stoke that is the essence of boardriding*. We’re also here to spread the word because the only thing better than finding stoke is sharing it.

*Boardriding is about timing and style. It’s youthful, active, casual, and free flowing. There is no wrong way to ride a board. The goal is simply to learn, progress, improve, and give it your own interpretation.

When Long arrived in Peru this past summer it was clear by the look in his eyes that he was there to win it all. Greg would take his dedication, focus and training and make every final of the 2012/2013 season. His consistency throughout the year was nothing short of spectacular. Greg placed 2nd at the Billabong Pico Alto event in Peru, 3rd place at the Mavericks Invitation in Half Moon Bay, California and a 2nd place finish at the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic in Lincoln City, Oregon. By the end of the season, Greg would finish nearly 1000pts ahead of his fellow competitors.

The “Crowing of the Champion” party was held at the Surfing Heritage Foundation Museum in San Clemente, Ca. In attendance were competitors, staff, family, friends and industry executives exchanging stories of the season’s best moments while enjoying great food and drink. Peter Mel, reigning BWWT Champion, called in via tele conference while traveling through Costa Rica to congratulate Greg on his newly acquired Title. “It is my honor to pass the torch to another great young man, Mr. Greg Long.” stated Peter Mel.

In special attendance this year was Dr. Paskowitz. Dr. Paskowitz gave a heart-felt speech to Greg congratulating him on his Title and his incredible accomplishments. “Your in a different league… Your not like us normal folks.” “You got the message from the waves themselves. You big wave surfers are the only ones who have the ability to change the world” said Dr. Paskowitz.

FINAL BWWT STANDINGS 2012/2013

1st Greg Long (USA) 2155.5
2nd Jamie Sterling (HAW) 1160.7
3rd Carlos Burle (BRA) 1150
4th Peter Mel (USA) 1148.7
5th Ken Collins (USA) 826.5
6th Gabriel Villaran (PERU) 823
7th Zach Wormhoudt (USA) 688.5
8th Ben Wilkinson (AUS) 674.25
9th Jose Gomez (PERU) 621
10th Joao De Macedo (PT) 555
11th Ramon Navarro (CL) 517.5
12th Jeff Rowley (AUS) 494.75

This year’s party was hosted by Peligroso Tequila, Primo Beer, Longboard Vineyard wine, Sol Raiz Organics, Vita Coco Coconut Water, Surfing Heritage and Cultural Center, Akioni’s Catering and the ASP.

BWWT SEASON RECAP

Quiksilver Ceremonial, Punta de Lobos, Chile did not run this year due to a lack of big waves.

Billabong Pico Alto – The first stop on tour this season was the Billabong Pico Alto 2012. The event ran on August 14th in the small coastal community of Punta Hermosa, Peru. Surfers were greeted to waves exceeding the 30+ft mark with conditions improving throughout the day. The waves at Pico Alto demonstrated their raw power early as Ken “Skindog” Collins suffered a severely broken nose and Rafael Velarde suffered a deep laceration on his face in Round 1. The Final saw the biggest and most consistent surf of the day with waves reaching 40ft. In the end, it was Carlos Burle edging out Greg Long for the victory.

Mavericks Invitation- 2nd stop on the BWWT ran on January 20th, 2013.
Although the waves were not as big as they could have been, they did meet the wave height criteria of the Big Wave World Tour and the conditions allowed for a spectacular display of technical big wave surfing. The seldom ridden lefts at Mavericks became the showstopper with some of the highest scores of the event rewarded to those who took advantage of its scoring potential. It was 2011/2012 BWWT Champion, Peter Mel, who earned his first Mavericks victory with Zach Wormhoudt and Greg Long finishing 2nd and 3rd.

Arnette Punta Galea Challenge – The first ever qualifying event in Tour history ran on January 28th, 2013. The day was filled with tense moments, heavy wipe-outs and incredible rides. During the event one of the water safety’s jet skis lost power and found its way to the inside rocks below the fabled cliffs of Punta Galea. No one was hurt and due to the professionalism of the water safety crew and the surfers competing the incident was just another jaw-dropping moment in competitive big wave surfing. By the end of the day it was 17-year-old charger, Naxto Gonzalez, who took the victory and obtained a BWWT Wildcard spot in the next BWWT Southern Hemisphere Event (Chile or Peru) and will become the youngest big wave surfer to participate in a BWWT Main Event.

Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic – 3rd stop on the Tour ran February 4th, 2013. The frigid deep-water outer reef saw waves in the 25-30ft range in perfect conditions with the best big wave surfers in the world displaying their modern approach to big wave surfing. The display of big wave surfing at Nelscott Reef was incredible and the judges were handing out excellent scores throughout the day. In the end it was Jamie Sterling taking the victory while Mr. Long once again took 2nd place.

The final stop on the tour, the Todos Santos Especial was not held to a lack of quality big waves.

The Big Wave World Tour is already in preparation for the next season. The Quiksilver Ceremonial, Punta de Lobos holding period begins April 15th and will run through June 15th, 2013. In addition to the current event stops, Punta Galea will now become a Main Event, adding a top European location to the schedule.

EVENT #3 OF THE BWWT 2012/2013

February 4rd, 2013

Big Wave World Tour Champion 2010/2011, Jamie Sterling, takes top honors at the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic in Lincoln City, Oregon this Saturday, February 2nd 2013.

Contest organizers started the event with a pre-contest meeting Friday night as John Forse (Contest Director), Gary Linden (Director of the BWWT), competitors and staff discussed the following day’s contest operations, judging criteria and start time for maximizing peak swell conditions for the contest.

All awoke Saturday morning with clear skies and glassy conditions. In the earlier part of the morning, Ian Wallace, Haley Fiske and Drew Brophy gave an SUP Exhibition and were the test pilots to decide when to start the Big Wave World Tour Event.

By 11:15 am the first heat hit the water. Although a slow start, the event saw waves in the 25-30ft faces range in perfect conditions with the best big wave surfers in the world displaying their modern approach to big wave surfing. The display of big wave surfing at Nelscott Reef was incredible and the judges were handing out excellent scores throughout the day.

“After missing last year for the first time in seven years due to lack of swell/conditions, Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic came through in a big way to make #8 the lucky number.” John Forse, Contest Director

The A-frame nature of the reef allowed competitors to split the peak and maximize scoring potential with big drops and long walls. Round 1 standouts included Gabriel Villaran, Grant Washburn, Ben Wilkinson & Ben Andrews.

The Semi Finals saw an increased size in surf and many of the usual suspects were charging toward the final while other BWWT newcomers battled for the remaining slots. The standouts of the round were Gabriel Villaran, Jamie Sterling, Greg Long, Ben Wilkinson, Joao De Macedo, and Aaron Ungerleider.

The Final started at 4:15 pm with only 1½ hour’s left of sunlight. The final saw the largest and most critical waves of the day. Jamie Sterling stepped it up during the Final and collect two excellent scores, a 9 (best wave doubled) and 8.5 to receive a total of 26.5 out of 30.

“I’m stoked to have won. I love the wave… That’s why I’m here. To surf against world-class surfers at a world-class wave is just icing on the cake.” Jamie Sterling

The South Reef Bomb exhibition was a close battle between Nic Lamb and Rusty Long. Both exchanged many great waves in the 30ft face range. At the awards ceremony the surfers and fans gave the nod to Rusty Long.

We would like to especially thank SportsGuard for all their support for making this contest a reality.

Competitors:

Gabriel Villaran
Peter Mel
Colin Brown
Cliff Skudin
Felipe Cesarano
Paul Wetterau
Grant Washburn
Greg Long
Jamie Sterling
Adur Letamendia
Brian Gorrell
Andres Flores
Ben Wilkinson
Aaron Gold
Chad Jackson
Will Skudin
Rusty Long
Mark Yazbek
Ben Andrews
Aaron Ungerleider
Joao De Macedo
Marcos Monteiro
Jeff Rowley
Jeff Denholme

Green Light Given for Saturday, February 2nd, 2013

After a slow start this winter in the Northern Hemisphere, three big wave events will run in less than two weeks.

Following the Mavericks Invitational (January 20th) earning Peter Mel his maiden Mavericks Title, The BWWT ran it’s first Qualifying Event in Spain, The Arnette Punta Galea Challenge, on January 28th.  Naxto Gonzalez, a 17-year-old dark horse took down the Title.  Now competitors and contest organizers are in transit to Lincoln City, Oregon to run the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic, 3rd stop on the BWWT, on February 2nd, 2013.

John Forse, Founder/Director of the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic presented by Rib Guard, has given the green light for the 8th annual event for this Saturday based on favorable forecasts and a deep-water swell that should see waves in the 30′+ range.

After a dormant 2011/2012 season that never provided an adequate swell for the first time in NRBWC history, this season has been active and the conditions finally presented themselves in the last couple of days.

Simultaneously on the South Reef adjacent to the contest reef there will be a ‘South Reef Bomb’ competition where all the waves ridden will be recorded and replayed at the Awards Banquet following the Contest. The Biggest Wave Award will be voted on by all in attendance and the surfer will be given a seed into next years NRBWC.

There will be a $10 entry fee for the Awards Banquet and raffle held with all proceeds going to Just Add Water Safety (J.A.W.S.) Northwest, a nonprofit water safety program that promotes big wave and beach smart safety. The awards banquet will be held at the Surftides Resort at 2945 NW Jetty Lincoln City starting around 6:30 pm. For tickets call Stacy at 541 992-1234

Natxo Gonzalez, a local from Bizkaia, captures the Arnette Punta Galea Challenge 2012/13, the first ever Big Wave World Tour Qualifying Event.

With a victory at hand, the 17-year-old charger obtains a “BWWT Wildcard ” to compete at the next BWWT Southern Hemisphere Event (Chile or Peru) and will become the youngest big wave surfer to participate in a BWWT Main Event.

Ben Freestone, forecasting advisor for Magicseaweed, stated that strong winds would be present during the morning hours and that the weather pattern would shift by noon.  The prediction held and contest organizers started the event around 2pm with good conditions and waves in the 40-foot face range.

The day was filled with tense moments, heavy wipe-outs and incredible rides.  During the event one of the water safety’s jet skis lost power and found its way to the inside rocks below the fabled cliffs of Punta Galea.  No one was hurt and due to the professionalism of the water safety crew and the surfers competing the incident was just another jaw-dropping moment in competitive big wave surfing.

Winner, Natxo Gonzales, kept calm despite the conditions and this to say after his maiden victory,  “I decided to get my spot at the peak and stay quiet. My sponsor brought me a new surfboard and everything worked really well, the board responded perfectly and thanks to that I surfed with confidence. I think it is the secret in order to do well in these  kind of conditions.”

Ramon Navarro stated, “At first it was hard! It was big and kind of bumpy. Local surfers made good use of their knowledge of the wave and positioned themselves better. Then, wave after wave, I’ve gained confidence, and, by the end, I was able to catch some good ones. Actually it was big, the sets were around seven meters and they were really strong. “

According to Gary Linden, Director of BWWT, who traveled from California to attend the event, “Punta Galea is a world class wave in all its aspects!

WATCH THE VIDEO

FINAL RESULTS

1 – Natxo Gonzalez (EUK) 3000 Euro + BWWT Wild Card

2 – Ramon Navarro (CHI) 2000 Euro

3- Adur Letamemdia (EUK) 1000 Euro

Worst Wipeout – Indar Unanue (EUK) 500 Euro

]]> http://www.bigwaveworldtour.com/17-year-old-basque-country-local-natxo-gonzalez-wins-arnette-punta-galea-challenge-201213/feed 0 http://www.bigwaveworldtour.com/punta-galea-challenge-is-on-for-mon-jan-28th-2013 http://www.bigwaveworldtour.com/punta-galea-challenge-is-on-for-mon-jan-28th-2013#comments Sat, 26 Jan 2013 19:12:09 +0000 BWWT http://bigwaveworldtour.com/?p=2802

A

For Immediate Release, January 26^th 2013

ARNETTE PUNTA GALEA CHALLENGE IS ON!

BWWT is proud to announce it’s first Qualifying Event, the Arnette Punta Galea Challenge 2012/2013, scheduled next Monday, January 28, 2013 in the challenging surf of Punta Galea (Spain).The updated forecasts shows mild S winds and great conditions with surf in the 16-18 feet @17sec. The best European riders will take part in this contest, along with BWWT Top South American surfer, Ramón Navarro.  Ramón received a special wildcard from supporting sponsor Red Bull.

Tour Director, Gary Linden, will be onsite for the event and stated:

¨The importance of the Qualifying series is monumental for the growth of the sport and culture, the two major goals of the BWWT. Starting at the outside of the big wave circle riding the biggest waves possible at ones local region will gradually spiral to the core. This is the vision of the BWWT and we hope to be announcing more qualifying events around the World as we continue to grow. Watch for them and prepare to see the next generation as they make the leap forward, one wave at a time.”

The contest format for the one-day event will consist of two 1hr15m Semi Final heats of eight surfers each.  The top two scores during that time will be counted with the best wave being doubled.  “Risk equals reward.”  The 1hr30m final will be made up of the top four riders from each Semi Final heat battling it out for the top prize, the coveted wild card spot and €3,000.00 Euros.

The prize money will be divided as follows:
 1st place: €3,000.00 + BWWT Wild Card in one of the Main Events
, 2nd place: €2,000.00
 & 3rd place: €1,000.00.

About Punta Galea

Punta Galea is located 15 kilometres from Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain in a small city area called Getxo. This is the birthplace of some of the best European surfers such as Axi Muniain, Adur Letamendia, Indar Unanue, Pablo Solar, Pilou Ducalme, Jaime Fernández, etc.
The wave at Punta Galea breaks at the bottom of a 60-meter cliff, on the right-hand side of the Abra bay opposite Bilbao Commercial Harbor. Easily reached by boat, the spot is located less than three miles away from the Puerto Deportivo of Getxo (Getxo sports port).

LIST OF COMPETITORS

Ramon Navarro CHI

Benjamin Sanchis FRA

Tom Buttler ENG

Andrew Cotton IRE

Pilou Ducalme FRA

Al Mennie IRE

Alex Bothelo POR

Francisco Porcella ITA

Axi Muniain EUK

Indar Unanue EUK

Aritz Aranburu EUK

Jon Garai EUK

Eneko Acero EUK

Pablo Solar SPA

Natxo González EUK

Adur Letamendia EUK

Jaime Fernández EUK

ALTERNATES

Tom Lowe ENG

Luis Rodríguez SPA

Ander Mendiguren EUK

Ibon Amatriain EUK

For more information about the event please visit www.3sesenta.com

Although the waves were not as big as they could have been, they did meet the wave height criteria of the Big Wave World Tour and the conditions allowed for a spectacular event.  As in any competition, home court knowledge becomes an advantage.  If you take a look at the list of the finalists, its no surprise that the majority of them are out in the line-up nearly every time Mavericks breaks.

Providing a greater source for delivery to a larger audience of big wave surfing was a main goal of Mavericks Invitational and the BWWT.  The sold out Mavericks Festival, had MCs vocalizing the live action, a huge jumbotron for viewing as well as live bands, food and a Sierra Nevada Brewing beer garden.

Finalists were awarded on the stage culminating an outstanding day of competitive big wave surfing.

“It was so great to have this sunny perfect day for people to come and enjoy what Mavericks, and the athletes that ride the wave, have to offer.  I am thankful for everyone that worked so hard to put this on within Mavericks Invitational and the Big Wave World Tour. After the event the camaraderie amongst the athletes, the working organizations, and the general public was incredible. All the good vibes and appreciation from everyone made all the hard work worthwhile.   I look forward to what the future holds for the sport of big wave riding.”  Brian Overfelt, Mavericks Invitational, Board of Directors

A unique aspect of this year’s event was the infamous Mavericks left. Seldom ridden in competition, it was exploited as the competitors took full advantage of its scoring potential.

Three alternates gained entrance into the event (Tyler Fox, Josh Loya & Colin Dwyer.)  The most successful, Tyler Fox, advanced to the Semi Finals, which has traditionally been the key to receiving an invite to the following year’s event. One of the goals of the BWWT is growing the big wave culture by allowing up-and-coming surfers a chance to showcase their talents to the world in a competitive format.

“As an alternate I was overjoyed to get a shot at surfing in the event and to make it into the semi finals was that much sweeter.”  Tyler Fox

As the finals came to a close the surfers gathered together and decided to distribute the prize purse ($50,000) equally, yet another example of the close bond that resonates so strongly throughout the big wave surfing experience.

“Pristine conditions for the final provided an opportunity for current BWWT Champion, Peter Mel, to maximize the Mavericks surfing experience with near perfect scores going both right and left, perhaps the most challenging of the day.” Gary Linden.

The finals results are as follows:

Peter Mel 1^st

Zach Wormhoudt 2^nd

Greg Long 3^rd

Alex Martins 4^th

Mark Healey 5^th

Shawn Dollar 6^th

Supporting sponsors of the Mavericks Invitational 2012-2013 Presented By GoPro, included: Mavericks Surf Shop, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and 1^st to Know.

The Mavericks Invitational Festival was sponsored by: The Oceano Hotel & Spa, Red Bull, Sam’s Chowder House, Crab Landing Seafood & Steakhouse, Village Pizza, Bike Works Half Moon Bay, Clif Bar and Save the Waves.

HALF MOON BAY, CA (January 16, 2013) – Contest organizers and officials for the Mavericks Invitational 2012-2013 Presented By GoPro, have confirmed that the world’s premier big wave surf contest will take place this Sunday, January 20, 2013 in Pillar Point, Half Moon Bay, CA.

Mavericks Invitational Contest Director Jeff Clark stated, “The waves are going to be insane, the weather is going to be beautiful, and the level of surfing will break new ground”.

This is the first time in three years that contest-worthy waves are headed to the legendary surf break.  Stormsurf forecaster Mark Sponsler stated, “This is looking like the best opportunity we’ve had in quite a few years with great conditions for running the contest.”

Mavericks event in 2010

Competitor and surfers’ representative, Shawn Dollar stated, “This swell is going to offer huge waves and possibly perfect conditions. This is a very powerful swell, and we will have dramatic conditions that will push the competitors to their limits.  Sunday is going to beautiful and very scary at times.  I look forward to seeing plenty of glory rides!”

The swell. courtesy of Surfline

For public safety, local authorities from San Mateo County Sheriff, California Parks, CHP, San Mateo County Harbor District and other participating agencies will close off all roads to Pillar Point, including access to the beach and bluffs.

In order to get the full experience of the contest, officials have organized “The Mavericks Invitational Festival,” an outdoor event to will be held on the grounds of the Oceano Hotel & Spa at Princeton Harbor, located on the road to Mavericks and across from Jeff Clark’s legendary Mavericks Surf Shop.

The Mavericks Invitational Festival starts at 8 a.m. just as the first heat of the contest starts. The festival will run all day with a live steam of all the contest action.  Festival goers will enjoy a day of music, live commentary, food, the Sierra Nevada Beer Garden, Grind Out Hunger Skate Park, Mavericks Gallery of Photography, and an opportunity to mingle with competitors.  As soon as the final heat is complete, all the action on the water will move to the Festival, where the surfers will gather for the Awards Ceremony.  The event wraps up at sunset.

Tickets to the festival are available online at MavericksInvitational.com, and range from $10 for general admission, and go up to $1,000 for VIP passes.  Tickets can also be purchased at the door on Sunday for $20, until the event is sold out.  Fans can also watch the live webcast of the contest at www.MavericksInvitational.com.

Event parking is located at the Half Moon Bay Airport, within walking distance of the Festival.  Proceeds from the parking benefit the Boys & Girls Club of the Coastside.  Additionally, Bike Works Half Moon Bay is providing free bike valet. If you come to town for the day, all highway and nearby parking will be closed. You can pay to park at the airport that day or buy your parking pass online.

Supporting sponsors of the Mavericks Invitational 2012-2013 Presented By GoPro, are:  Mavericks Surf Shop, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and 1^st to Know.

The Mavericks Invitational Festival is sponsored by: The Oceano Hotel & Spa, Red Bull, Sam’s Chowder House, Crab Landing Seafood & Steakhouse, Village Pizza, Bike Works Half Moon Bay, Grind Out Hunger, Clif Bar and Save the Waves.

Chris Bertish receives his check from BWWT Director Gary Linden in 2010

The Competitors:
Heat #1                       Heat #2                       Heat #3                       Heat #4
Peter Mel                     Chris Bertish                Tyler Smith                 Alex Martins
Dave Wassel               Jamie Sterling              Ryan Augenstein        Anthony Tashnick
Mark Healey                Grant Washburn          Zach Wormhoudt        Grant Baker
Kelly Slater                  Shawn Dollar               Shane Dorian              Ben Wilkinson
Ken Collins                  Nathan Fletcher           Greg Long                  Carlos Burle
Rusty Long                  Matt Ambrose              Ryan Seelbach           Shane Desmond

The Alternates:

Tyler Fox (Santa Cruz)

Josh Loya (Santa Cruz)

Colin Dwyer (Pacifica)

Nic Lamb (Santa Cruz)

Danilo Couto (Brazil)

Derek Dunfee (San Diego)

Ben Andrews (San Francisco)

Andrew Marr (South Africa)

Travis Payne (Pacifica)

Ion Banner (Half Moon Bay)

Kohl Christensen (Hawaii)

Shawn Rhodes (Pacifica)

Mike Gerhardt (Santa Cruz)

Garret McNamara (Hawaii)

Russel Smith (Santa Cruz)

Jamie Mitchel (Australia)

Frank Solamon (South Africa)

WATCH THE OFFICIAL TRAILER

Therefore the BWWT is proud to announce the first Qualifying Event in its history: The Arnette Punta Galea Challenge 2012/2013 will be held in the challenging surf of Punta Galea (Basque Country, Spain) and will provide an opportunity for European surfers to qualify the winner for a slot in one of the Southern Hemisphere events in the following season.

The importance of the Qualifying series is monumental for the growth of the sport and culture, the two major goals of the BWWT. Starting at the outside of the big wave circle riding the biggest waves possible at ones local region will gradually spiral to the core. This is the vision of the BWWT and we hope to be announcing more qualifying events around the World as we continue to grow. Watch for them and prepare to see the next generation as they make the leap forward, one wave at a time.”

Gary Linden, Big Wave World Tour Director

About: ARNETTE PUNTA GALEA CHALLENGE 2012/2013.

WATCH THE VIDEO

Punta Galea is located 15 kilometres from Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain in a small city area called Getxo. This is the birthplace of some of the best European surfers such as Axi Muniain, Adur Letamendia, Indar Unanue, Pablo Solar, Pilou Ducalme, Jaime Fernández, etc.

This Qualifying event will pit top local surfers along side some of the best European big wave riders for a prize purse offered by presenting sponsor Arnette and a wild card spot in one of the BWWT southern hemisphere main events.

The wave at Punta Galea breaks at the bottom of a 60-meter cliff, on the right-hand side of the Abra bay opposite Bilbao Commercial Harbor. Easily reached by boat, the spot is located less than three miles away from the Puerto Deportivo of Getxo (Getxo sports port).

The contest format for the one-day event will consist of two 1hr15m Semi Final heats of eight surfers each. The top two scores during that time will be counted with the best wave being doubled. Risk equals reward. The final will be 1hr30m and made up of the top four riders from each Semi Final heat battling it out for the top prize, the coveted wild card spot and €3,000.00 Euros.

The prize money will be divided as follows:
1st place: €3,000.00 + BWWT Wild Card in one of the Main Events
2nd place: €2,000.00
3rd place: €1,000.00.

LIST OF COMPETITORS

Joao De Macedo POR
Eric Rebiere FRA
Andrew Cotton IRE
Pilou Ducalme FRA
Al Mennie IRE
Alex Bothelo POR
Francisco Porcella ITA
Axi Muniain SPA
Indar Unanue SPA
Aritz Aranburu SPA
Jon Garai SPA
Eneko Acero SPA
Pablo Solar SPA
Natxo González SPA
Adur Letamendia SPA
To Be Announced

ALTERNATES
Tom Buttler ENG
Tom Lowe ENG
Benjamin Sanchis FRA
Jaime Fernández SPA
Luis Rodríguez SPA

For more information about the event please visit www.3sesenta.tv

]]> http://www.bigwaveworldtour.com/the-bwwt-launches-its-first-qualifying-event-in-punta-galea-basque-country-spain/feed 0 http://www.bigwaveworldtour.com/mavericks-invitational-presented-by-gopro-kicks-off-the-winter-season http://www.bigwaveworldtour.com/mavericks-invitational-presented-by-gopro-kicks-off-the-winter-season#comments Mon, 12 Nov 2012 18:50:05 +0000 BWWT http://bigwaveworldtour.com/?p=2576 HALF MOON BAY, CA (November 10 2012) – Mavericks Invitational presented by GoPro, the world’s premier big wave surf contest, kicked off the winter season with an inspirational Opening Ceremony and paddle out from the beach at Mavericks.

“The opening ceremony and paddle out is more special than any big day of surfing,” said Danilo Couto, Brazilian big wave surfer on the list of alternates for this year’s competition. “It just reminds us how lucky we are to be here year after and year. Mavericks is the most intense big wave around. It keeps me on my toes every day of my life, knowing I have to be ready. It keeps me healthy, keeps me young, and keeps me doing the right thing.”

Nearly all of the 24 invited competitors and 17 alternates attended the ceremony, along with the local high school and junior high school surf teams, fans and the local surf community.

“The surfers look forward to the ceremony to reconnect with each other and with Mavericks,” said contest director Jeff Clark, who introduced the surfers and led the group in a prayer. “It’s the coming together of the family and the brotherhood that goes way deeper than surfing. It helps us remember that it is a power much greater than us that allows us to challenge one of the greatest forces of nature.”

The heat draw, always a highlight of the ceremony, is where competitors pull out a numbered ping pong ball which places them in their respective heat. This years heat draw is as follows:

The ceremony also marks the opening of the Mavericks Invitational contest window, which starts on November 9, 2012, and runs though March 31, 2013. When wave height and weather conditions are perfect, organizers make “the call” to hold the contest with 24-hour notice.

This year’s event is presented by GoPro, with supporting sponsors Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and 1st to Know. To receive up to date news and alerts about the contest, fans can sign up for free text alerts at www.mavericksinvitational.com.

About Mavericks Invitational

Mavericks Invitational is the world’s premier, high adrenaline, big wave surfing event, and is now part of the Big Wave World Tour. The association with BWWT allows those surfers who are part of the tour to use their performance at Mavericks as part of their overall scoring for the season. The contest is a one-day, invitation-only surfing competition is held at the legendary Mavericks surf break located ½ mile offshore at Pillar Point Harbor, just 20 minutes south of San Francisco. The 24 most daring big-wave surfers in the world attempt to tame the massive swells on the biggest and best day of the 2012 winter season. For additional details, tickets or sign up to be a volunteer, visit MavericksInvitational.com.