WSL BWT Champion and defending event winner Makuakai Rothman (HAW) at the 2014 Billabong Pico Alto. Photo: WSL / Gonzalez
The World Surf League’s Big Wave Tour doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it should. If the WSL is looking to bring surfing to a wider audience (which they are, and which sucks), the bigger the wave, the better the chances that Joe from Nebraska is going to watch. Joe doesn’t understand the tiny little things that make surfing smaller waves so impressive. Joe wants to see huge waves with even huger wipeouts. And there’s a bonus for the everyday surfer, as well: if Joe from Nebraska thinks that surfing is exclusively done on waves that could kill him, chances are good that he’s not going to move to the coast and add to the crowds.
The Billabong Pico Alto event in Peru is one of the best events on the BWT, and it’s sitting at a yellow alert. A swell with projected wave heights of 20′-30′ is racing towards the area. With an expected arrival of July 21st, organizers are keeping a close eye on how it shapes up. If it looks even more promising than it does right now, they’ll call a green light or a no-go 72 hours prior.
“After watching a somewhat dormant South Pacific for the last few weeks, things have come alive again,” said Big Wave Tour VP, Gary Linden. “A strong swell is heading for Pico Alto, Peru and the timing could not be better for the event with the swell peaking mid-day on the low tide. These conditions should produce the best possible waves for a tremendous Final.”
Last year, the Pico Alto was the only Southern Hemisphere event to run. When it did, it was a spectacular show–waves hit the 40′ mark, and Makuakai Rothman took home his maiden championship. So in the interests of all everyday surfers around the globe, we should all be promoting the shit out of BWT events–I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to find myself looking over the ledge of a 40′ wave any time soon.
Top 10 finishers on the 2014/2015 BWT:
Makuakai Rothman (HAW)
Gabriel Villaran (PER)
Nic Lamb (USA)
Shawn Dollar (USA)
Anthony Tashnick (USA)
Greg Long (USA)
Nathan Fletcher (USA)
Grant Baker (ZAF)
Natxo Gonzalez (EUK)
Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
BWT Wildcards:
Alex Gray (USA) (injury wildcard)
Josh Kerr (AUS)
Shane Dorian (HAW)
Ramon Navarro (CHL)
Jamie Sterling (HAW)
Ben Wilkinson (AUS)
Event Wildcards:
Miguel Tudela (PER)
Sebastian Correa (PER)
Alejo Loret De Mola (PER)
Sebastian De Romana (PER)
Luis Gomez de la Torre (PER)
Cristian Merello (CHL)
Video Qualifiers:
James Taylor (ZAF)
Trevor Sven Carlson (HAW)
