Oakley/ASL Big Wave Awards Are Off to a Cracking Start

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 2 August, 2006 : - - Gold Coast, Queensland, -- The Oakley/ASL Big Wave Awards provide Australia with a premier heavy-water surf event of epic proportions. Dozens of ultra-qualified surfers on the open ocean coasts of Australia and New Zealand spend seven months in pursuit of the best and biggest waves they can find. The goals? Ultimate respect from their peers, the thrill of the chase, and $30,000 in total prizemoney.

This year’s event kicked off on June 1 and it wasn’t long before the entries were flooding in.

First riders off the mark were the New Zealand South Island crews. On June 15, around a dozen surfers – NZ international rep Daniel Kereopa and former Oakley/ASL awardee Doug Young among ‘em – took on the near frozen walls of Papatowai break, an hour or so from Dunedin.

Papas is a forbidding enough spot at the best of times, but when the guys showed up on the cliff overlooking the break on the coldest morning of the entire year, right after NZ’s biggest snowstorm in a decade, they were feeling it. “The air was around minus five and the water temperature was nine degrees,” recounts photographer Cory Scott, who’d committed himself to recording the action from the back of a jetski.

Fortunately for all, the sun came out and the waves pumped. Great rides were scored and entered by Young, Kereopa, Kyle Davidson, Oscar Smith, Nick Smart, Sam Willis, Shayne Baxter and Todd Robertson.

Paul "Antman" Paterson : photo Jamiescottimages.com - (click image to enlarge)

No sooner had this solid mark been set than boom! ASP WCT pro Jake Paterson was exceeding it. Riding a deepwater reef known as Cow Bombie near his Gracetown, West Australia home, on June 26, Jake stunned observers by riding perhaps the biggest wave then recorded in Australian waters. The shot made newspapers across the country.

But far crazier stuff was in store. Two weeks later on July 5, an even bigger swell slammed into Cow Bombie, this time with highly favourable light offshore wind conditions. On the day, all previous ideas of surf size in these waters were blown out the window, as surfers like defending Oakley/ASL Big Wave Awards champ Damon Eastaugh, Paul (Jake’s brother) Paterson, Alex “Alfy” Cater, Damien “Taco” Warr and Lief Mulick tackled 30 to 40 foot plus waves.

The resulting entries have changed the face of big wave riding in this country and have left even the giant surf maestros of Hawaii and California slack jawed.  “Biggest waves I’ve ever ridden”, said Cater.  “Probably the biggest I’ve seen, I’ve surfed some big waves in Hawaii but nothing that size”.

It’s also caused a severe case of itchy trigger finger among Oakley/ASL Big Wave Awards registered surfers in other parts of Australia. They know what they have to better, and they can’t wait for the next big swell to try.

The Oakley/ASL Big Wave Awards is an ongoing seven month challenge to reward the riders of the biggest waves in Australasian waters. It runs from June 1, 2006 to February 1, 2007. $30,000 total prize money will be awarded to winning surfers and photographers at a gala presentation on the Gold Coast following the judging process in March 2007.

Lief Mulick  : photo Jamiescottimages.com - (click image to enlarge) 

Related reports:
Surfs up for ride of a lifetime

About Oakley
Oakley, Inc. designs, manufactures and distributes high-performance sunglasses, prescription frames, goggles and technology-enabled eyewear that utilize the company's High Definition Optics® (HDO®), a collective platform of patented technologies that offer unbeatable optical performance.  The company also produces technical and active apparel, footwear and accessories.

EAST COAST & NEW ZEALAND SWELL ALERT

A 10-to-12 foot easterly groundswell is looking possible for the East Coast in the coming week.
A strong low, forming off the north end of New Zealand around the beginning of next week, looks likely to produce a solid groundswell that will see sizeable waves from Byron Bay to Ulladulla and possibly beyond. Whilst this will be evident along the coast, the outer reefs will benefit most from this new weather pattern.

In addition, a powerful swell system is currently wrapping around our southern shore. Although unlikely to affect Australia, if it stays its current course, New Zealand looks set to reap the benefits around the 7th of August.

Previous Reports:
# 1 : Oakley & Morrison Media launch ASL Big Wave Awards
# 2 : Oakley/ASL Big Wave Awards are off to a cracking start..  

www.oakley.com.au  
www.surfinglife.com.au/bigwaveawards

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Cassandra Murnieks

Big Wave News - Surfersvillage