Go Big Or Go Home

Chris Shanahan at The Right. It looks inviting, hey? Photo: Mike Riley

Australia Day is officially the last day in the waiting period for Surfing Life’s Oakley Big Wave Awards.  And as the 12-month competition draws to a close, some of the best and biggest wave entries have just come in, all from a recent monster session at WA's Cow Bombie.

The Oakley Big Wave Awards are open exclusively to the world’s best and boldest big-surf maestros. The idea is simple: you’ve got twelve months – go catch the biggest and best wave you can find in Australian and New Zealand waters!

Check out Damien "Taco" Warr on this beast.

Previous winners include NSW’s Laurie Towner, Ross Clarke-Jones and Mark Matthews, WA’s Damon Eastaugh and Alex Cater, and NZ’s Doug Young and Daniel Kereopa (in the Paddle-in division), amongst others.

“If you’re one of our registered surfers, or just a talented big wave rider who hasn’t entered before, and you’ve got a bomb hidden away, now’s the time to get in touch and blow it up,” says Event Co-ordinator Nick Carroll

“We’ve never had so many entrants,” says Carroll. “There’s a lot more surfers riding bigger surf off the jetski these days – and the bar is getting pushed further and further.”

Once the doors close to entries on 26 January, entered rides will be handed to an expert judging panel, who’ll have the task of splitting $35,000 in prize money between Biggest Paddle-in Ride, Biggest Slab, the photography ‘Shooter’ Awards, and the big one – the $20,000 Biggest Wave Award itself.

Sean Green sliding onto a stormy looking monster at Cow Bombie.

With Oakley’s strong support over the past 10 years, the Big Wave Awards have become the leading big wave competition in the Southern Hemisphere.

This year’s awards will be presented at a star-studded evening at Simmer on the Bay, The Rocks on the 8^th of February.

For more information head to: www.bigwaveawards.com.au

Have you seen this wave and the award in Fighting Fear? Mark Mathews won Biggest Wave at the Oakley BWA's last year. Photo: Calum Macaulay.