Ian Walsh Dominates Big Wave Awards

Big wave warlord Grant “Twiggy” Baker called Ian Walsh’s tube at the Pe’ahi Challenge last October the best wave he’s in ever seen his life.

“Ride of the century,” Twiggy claimed.

Last night, even with a new world record being broken – for a waterskiing entry down a 20-degree incline – Ian’s wave dominated as it was always going to.

The perfect score from the 2017 Pe’ahi Challenge took Ride of the Year, along with the Tube of the Year award.

Ian was his handsome, professional self, thanked photographers, other surfers, the water safety units, and the kids coming up the ranks who will keep pushing.

Speaking of which, according to those in the game, Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca is a name you’re likely to hear a lot more.

“Proper psycho” is a term being thrown around about the 22-year-old, who charges like a young man possessed.

Lucas won the men’s Best Overall Performance award, largely for a paddle wave at Nazare, and for winning Nazare Challenge earlier this year. With that, Lucas now joins the Big Wave World Tour.

Page Alms won the women’s World Title for the umpteenth time and will likely win for the next umpteen years, given her dominance at Jaws. (Though Bianca Valenti could be nipping at her heels, if Paige lets her guard down.)

2016 Paddle Award winner Aaron Gold won the Paddle category again, for his wave at Jaws on January 14. Gold still holds the record for the biggest paddle-in wave ever surfed, at 63 feet from 2016. This year, his winning wave was measured at 55 feet.

And, finally, let’s talk about the new Guinness World Record, for Biggest Wave Ever Surfed.

Rodrigo Koxa, a Brazilian goofyfooter who happens to possess an electric small-wave air game, won the Quiksilver XXL Big Wave Award.

Rodrigo’s wave on November 8 at Nazare was 80 feet, overtaking Garrett McNamara’s record of 78 feet at Nazare in 2011*.

Guinness World Record holder, Rodrigo Koxa. Photo courtesy WSL

2018 WSL Big Wave Award Winners:

TUBE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER

Ian Walsh  (Haiku, Hawaii, USA) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on October 28, 2017.

    (Photo by Richard Hallman.)

WIPEOUT OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER

Andrew Cotton (Braunton, Devon, United Kingdom) at Nazaré, Portugal on November 8, 2017.

    (Video by Pedro Miranda.) 

BIGGEST PADDLE AWARD WINNER

Aaron Gold (Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on January 14, 2018.

    (Photo by Brent Broza.)

QUIKSILVER XXL BIGGEST WAVE AWARD WINNER

Rodrigo Koxa (Guarujá, SP, Brazil) at Nazaré, Portugal on November 8, 2017.

    (Photo by Pedro Cruz.)

RIDE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER

Ian Walsh (Haiku, Hawaii, USA) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on October 28, 2017.

    (Video by Dan Norkunas.)

HYDRO FLASK WOMEN’S BEST PERFORMANCE AWARD WINNERS

1 – Paige Alms (Haiku, Hawaii, USA)

2 – Justine Dupont (Seignosse, France)

3 – Maya Gabeira (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

4 – Keala Kennelly (Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA)

5 – Bianca Valenti (Mill Valley, California, USA)

MEN’S BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE AWARD NOMINEES

1 – Lucas Chianca (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

2 – Kai Lenny (Haiku, Hawaii, USA)

3 – Grant Baker (Durban, South Africa)– 2018/2019 BWT Qualifier

4 – Billy Kemper (Haiku, Hawaii, USA)

5 – Ian Walsh (Haiku, Hawaii, USA)

6 – Nathan Florence (Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA) – 2018/2019 BWT Qualifier

7 – Jojo Roper (San Diego, California, USA) – 2018/2019 BWT Qualifier

8 – Jamie Mitchell (Burleigh Heads, Queensland, Australia)

9 – Russell Bierke (Ulladulla, New South Wales, Australia) – 2018/2019 BWT Qualifier

10 – Ryan Hipwood (Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia) – 2018/2019 BWT First Alternate

*This was, of course, a tow wave and can’t be compared to the ride of Ian Walsh’s, as dramatic as the measurement is. This title will likely hang around for a couple of years until a lucky gent holding a tow rope is next in line when another oversized Atlantic burger arrives in front of him, yhen the Guinness Deciders will don monocles and dust off protractors and focus in on a small dot on a hazy, grey behemoth, and determine that, Alas! That dot is, in fact, smaller, and the grey, hazy, behemoth is, in fact, taller than last year’s—and an 82-foot wave will win the Guinness world record!

See previous holders of the Guinness Book Of World Record’s Biggest Wave Ever Ridden below: