Way back in early December of 2020, Red Bull announced something that should have been announced long ago: it was kicking off Red Bull Magnitude, a women’s only big wave surfing contest. The format was a little different than usual — instead of a small window and a a couple of heats, Magnitude saw women submit clips from across the Hawaiian Islands from December 1, 2020 all the way through to February 28, 2021. The winner would walk away with $25,000.
“Running a traditional, in-person big-wave contest has always been difficult under the best circumstances, that has only been made more difficult by current conditions,” said ‘Banzai’ Betty Depolito, one of the event judges. “By creating a decentralized contest held across the state for a three-month period, we’re not only ensuring the safety of all of our competitors, but truly allowing a new level of opportunity to all who enter the contest. It doesn’t matter if you’re the most well-known big-wave surfer on Earth or a local ripper that not many people have heard about, you have the same chance to take home $25,000 and make a name for yourself. There are young girls charging right now who have a tremendous opportunity to win this event.”
That winner, of course, turned out to be Keala Kennelly. It was announced on March 16 that an expert judging panel of Kai Lenny, Mark Healey, Rochelle Ballard, and Betty DePolito crowned Kennelly the Overall Winner.
“This year will definitely be remembered as a milestone, not solely because you had one of the biggest XXL swells of the decade but also because Red Bull put on a specialty female big-wave event,” Kennelly said. “Magnitude was a great concept that gave women a platform and the much-lacking resources they needed. Having filmers and a jet ski safety team dedicated to us every time the contest would activate gave women big-wave surfers the opportunity to push their limits with more confidence and then have the video footage, not only to use to boost our profiles but also to review and learn from.”
But it takes a lot more than just a winner to make a successful contest, and Magnitude certainly had its fair share of incredible performances, and the short film you see above takes a look at them.
