Numerology And The WSL’s Big Wave Awards

If the Big Wave Awards was hyper focused on the El Nino-fueled Pacific during the historic 2015/16 season, this last year was the Atlantic’s turn. Albeit not nearly as cobalt and attractive, what the Atlantic lacks in postcard perfection it more than makes up for in grit. The WSL just announced the nominees for its annual Big Wave Awards, which take place in Huntington Beach on April 29, and plain and simple, over the course of the 2016/17 season, without Nazare there simply would not have been a big-wave season. The Pacific has a few moments, but it wasn’t the conveyer belt of swells we’d been spoiled with previously. The following is a look at some of the more telling numbers behind the nominations: 

1. In the Ride of the Year, Paddle Award and Biggest Wave Award, a combined nine nominees out of a total of 15 are from Nazare. Three are from Mavericks, two from Jaws and one from Puerto Escondido.

2. Italians are the new Hawaiians. First Leo Fioravanti goes and qualifies over Zeke Lau, now Francisco Porcella is up for Ride of the year and Biggest Wave awards thanks to waves ridden on two different swells. Claiming Sardegna as his home base, maybe there’s something in the water in the Med?

3. Battle of the mates: three of the Tube of the Year nominees come from The Right on May 16, 2016. Bradley Norris, Dan Ryan and Shanan Worrall, all from W.A., have skin in the game, but lensman Chris White has versions of all three tube shots, which makes him an odds favourite to win something. Of course, they’re up against Dane Gudauskas’s dream runner at Cloudbreak and Conor Maguire at Mullaghmore Head, but three out of five nominees ain’t bad.

4. Jamie Mitchell and Porcella are tied for the most nominations with three apiece. Mitchell’s come in the form of a Ride of the Year nominee from Puerto Escondido on June 24, the Paddle Award nominee for his December 20 bomb at Nazare, and an overall performance award. Porcella’s up for Ride of the Year thanks to his February 28 wave at Nazare, Biggest Wave Award for his October 24 Nazare monster, and he’s also in contention for the performance award.

5. “And the winner is…the German who doesn’t paddle!” Christian Fletcher’s favourite big-wave rider is back. Garnering a Biggest Wave of the Year nomination for his October 24 wave at Nazare is Sebastian Steudtner. What are the chances the WSL hires Christian to give out the award?

6. Shane Dorian has zero nominees. God knows when the last time the Big Wave Awards were held without his name on the list somewhere. Maybe after last year he figured it was time to give a Brazilian, Italian or German a chance?

7. There are seven countries represented in this year’s Big Wave Awards.

8. There are ten men nominated for the Overall Performance Award with a prize of $20,000. In the women’s category, only five ladies are nominated with a first-place check of $15,000

BILLABONG RIDE OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES:
Surfer prizes total $125,000  –  Videographer prizes total $13,000
Ben Andrews (Morro Bay, California, USA) at Maverick’s, California on November 9, 2016.
     (Video by Curt Myers.)
Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) at Nazaré, Portugal on December 22, 2016.
     (Video by Nuno Dias.)
Billy Kemper (Haiku, Hawaii, USA) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on November 11, 2016.
     (Video by Etienne Aurelius.)
Jamie Mitchell (Currumbin, Queensland, Australia) at Puerto Escondido, Mexico on June 24, 2016.
     (Video by WSL Video Team.)
Francisco Porcella (Sardegna, Italy) at Nazaré, Portugal on February 28, 2017.
     (Video by Javier Goya.)

PADDLE AWARD NOMINEES:
Surfer prize $30,000 – Photographer prize $5,000
Ben Andrews (Morro Bay, California, USA) at Maverick’s, California on November 9, 2016.
     (Photos by Michael Andrew and Fred Pompermayer. Video by Curt Myers.)
Trevor Sven Carlson (Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA) at Nazaré, Portugal on December 17, 2016.
     (Photos by Rafael Elias, Vitor Estrelinha and Guilherme Soares. Video by Andreas Jansen.)
Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) at Nazaré, Portugal on December 22, 2016.
      (Photos by Bruno Aleixo, André Botelho, Andrea Carminati, Pedro Cruz and Pedro Miranda. Video by Nuno               Dias.)
Christopher Mashburn (San Diego, California, USA) at Maverick’s, California on January 26, 2017.
     (Photos by Nikki Brooks, Silvin Morgan, Fred Pompermayer and Frank Quirarte. Video by Blakeney Sanford.)
Jamie Mitchell (Currumbin, Queensland, Australia) at Nazaré, Portugal on December 20, 2016.
     (Photos by Bruno Aleixo, André Botelho and Guilherme Soares. Video by WSL Video Team.)

TAG HEUER XXL BIGGEST WAVE AWARD NOMINEES:
Surfer prize $25,000 – Photographer prize $5,000
Trevor Sven Carlson (Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA) at Nazaré, Portugal on December 23, 2016.
     (Photo by Vitor Estrelinha.)
Kai Lenny (Paia, Hawaii, USA) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on November 8, 2016.
     (Photos by Aaron Lynton and Fred Pompermayer. Video by Marcus Rodrigues.)
Francisco Porcella (Sardegna, Italy) at Nazaré, Portugal on October 24, 2016.
     (Photos by Bruno Aleixo, Pedro Bala, André Botelho, Silvino Esperanca and Rafael Riancho. Video by Timelapse        Media.)
Sebastian Steudtner (Nuremberg, Germany) at Nazaré, Portugal on October 24, 2016.
     (Photos by Bruno Aleixo, Helio Antonio, Miguel Chaby, Rafael Riancho and Hugo Silva. Video by Timelapse              Media.)
Hugo Vau (Terceira, Azores, Portugal) at Nazaré, Portugal on October 24, 2016.
     (Photos by Mauro Correia, Pedro Cruz and João Serpa. Video by Timelapse Media.)

TAG HEUER WIPEOUT OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES:
Surfer prize $5,000  –  Videographer prize $2,000
Wilem Banks (Santa Cruz, California, USA) at Maverick’s, California  on January 26, 2017.
     (Video by Curt Myers.)
Nathan Florence (Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA) at Maverick’s, California  on January 26, 2017.
     (Video by Blakeney Sanford.)
Danny Griffiths (Hobart, Tasmania, Australia) at Shipstern Bluff, Tasmania on June 16, 2016.
     (Video by Dave Otto.)
Tom Lowe (St. Ives, Cornwall, United Kingdom) at Nazaré, Portugal on October 24, 2016.
     (Video by Nuno Dias.)
Rafael Tapia (Santiago, Chile) at Nazaré, Portugal on October 24, 2016.
     (Video by Nuno Dias.)

TUBE OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES:
Dane Gudauskas (San Clemente, California, USA) at Cloudbreak, Fiji on May 23, 2016.
     (Photos by Pat Stacy and WSL Photo Team.)
Conor Maguire (Bundoran, Ireland) at Mullaghmore Head, Ireland on March 15, 2017.
     (Photo by Conor Flanagan.)
Bradley Norris (Perth, W.A. Australia) at The Right, Western Australia on May 16, 2016.
     (Photos by Jamie Scott and Chris White.)
Dan Ryan (Margaret River, W.A. Australia) at The Right, Western Australia on May 16, 2016.
     (Photos by Trent Slatter and Chris White.)
Shanan Worrall (Margaret River, W.A. Australia) at The Right, Western Australia on May 16, 2016.
     (Photos by Jamie Scott and Chris White.)

SURFLINE MEN’S BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE AWARD NOMINEES:
First prize $20,000, $53,500 total
Grant Baker (Durban, South Africa) 
Pedro Calado (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) 
Trevor Sven Carlson (Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA)
Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Billy Kemper (Haiku, Hawaii, USA)
Nic Lamb (Santa Cruz, California, USA)
Kai Lenny (Haiku, Hawaii, USA)
Greg Long (San Clemente, California, USA) 
Jamie Mitchell (Currumbin, Queensland, Australia)
Francisco Porcella (Sardegna, Italy)

WOMEN’S BEST PERFORMANCE AWARD NOMINEES:
First prize $15,000, $32,500 total
Paige Alms (Haiku, Hawaii, USA)
Justine Dupont (Lacanau, France)
Keala Kennelly (Hanalei, Hawaii, USA) 
Nicole Pacelli (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Bianca Valenti (Mill Valley, California, USA)