Peter Mel wins the 2011 Billabong Pico Alto Copa Burn presented by SONY

World’s Best Big Wave Riders Battle 45 Foot Waves at the Second Competition in the 2011 Big Wave World Tour

Peru’s monster break Pico Alto demonstrated why it commands the world stage as one of the five stops on the Big Wave World Tour (WWT) yesterday. Top international surfers from South Africa, Austrália, the United States, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Portugal, and Brazil converged on Pico Alto with 48 hours notice to compete along side the top Peruvian big wave surfers at the Billabong Pico Alto 2011 Gravar Copa,. At the end of the contest Peter Mel (EUA) secured the first place prize, and his first BWWT victory, followed by Ben Wilkinson (AU) in second and Felipe Cesarano (BR) in third.

Adrenaline soared for the competitors and spectators alike, as the contest started with great waves in the 30-foot range and continued to grow throughout the day. The hour long final was held in perfect, 35 para 45 foot conditions, offering the biggest and cleanest surf of the event.

Ben Wilkinson (AU) took command of the heat early, with two excellent scoring waves. Ben’s aggressive approach and progressive power surfing gave him an edge in the extreme conditions. Legendary standout Peter Mel (EUA) also started strong with a solid 9 point ride, and waited until the closing minutes of the final to over take Wilkinson and secure his first big wave victory. Other finalists included Felipe Cesarano (BR), Joao De Macedo (PT), Jamie Sterling (HI) and Kodiak Semsch (PE).

“My mentor, Richard Schmidt, came to Peru in the early 80’s and he told me about this great big wave. I have dreamed about surfing Pico Alto. Today, I feel really proud to have won my first Big Wave World Tour event here in Peru”, said Peter Mel.

Event sponsors included Burn, Sony, Powerade, Mapfre, Volkswagen Amarok, VonZipper, and Nixon, as well as Surfline.com (the official forecaster for the BWWT).

Results: Billabong Pico Alto 2011 – Copa Burn presented by Sony

1. Peter Mel (EUA)

2. Ben Wilkinson (Austrália)

3. Felipe Cesarano (Brasil)

4. Joao De Macedo (Portugal)

5. Jamie Sterling (Hawaii)

6. Kodiak Semsch (Peru)

For more information please visit: www.billabong.com/sa/picoalto11