Every year for more than a decade, the Billabong XXL Awards have been one of those things that everyone sits around and waits for. With a payday of $50,000, entries aren’t in short supply–and these aren’t just those enter-it-and-hope-to-god-you-win kind of entries. They’re all insane waves with insanely talented/crazy people on them. But the folks doling out the check diligently whittled them down to five of the greatest rides of 2014. Below are the nominees for the Billabong XXL 2015 Ride of the Year category.
1. Brad Domke at Puerto Escondido, July 5, 2014
Domke has two things going for him that should really be things that are going for him, especially for an award based on big wave riding. One, he’s from Florida, which isn’t exactly known for its big waves. Two, he’s riding a skimboard, which isn’t exactly known for its big wave riding capabilities. And although Brad rips on a normal surfboard, the things he’s doing on a skimboard aren’t being done by anyone else on the face of the earth… nor will they be for a long, long, time.
2. Shane Dorian at Jaws, November 12
Shane Dorian is kind of a god among men, especially when it comes to surfing massive waves. All of the best big wave surfers in the world look to him as the guy who has consistently set the benchmark for insanity–and this wave proves why.
3. Shane Dorian at Puerto Escondido, July 5
Is anyone surprised that Dorian has two entries out of five? If there is, give that head a shake. On the same day that Brad Domke was slip-sliding his way into the history books on a skimboard, Dorian caught more than a handful of stupidly big waves. To have the presence of mind to stick that drop and continue on into one of the thickest barrels Mexico has ever seen takes serious cojones.
4. Dean Morrison at The Right, April 18
Everyone knows Dingo. He’s the guy that shows up when things are at their hairiest, smiles like a madman, and goes on everything. Anyone that tows into a wave like this on a day like that either has a screw loose or a screw in just right. While it’s probably a mix of both, Dean Morrison has this wave in the spank bank for the rest of his life.
5. Gabriel Villaran at Puerto Escondido, July 5
July 5th at Puerto Escondido was the day that just kept on giving. Judging from the nominees, it was the best day of big wave surfing of 2014, and Gabriel Villaran didn’t wake up that day, hit snooze, and roll back over. Along with Dorian and Domke, the Peruvian Villaran should not have made it out of this wave. But because he’s Gabriel Villaran, he did.
And there’s more to come. Ride of the Year is just one of the categories in the best and biggest awards in surfing. Here are the rest of the pack:
Paddle Nominees
Grant Baker (Durban, South Africa) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on November 12, 2014.
Grant Baker (Durban, South Africa) at Pico Alto, Peru on July 3, 2014.
Damien Hobgood (Satellite Beach, Florida, USA) at Punta de Lobos, Chile on May 5, 2014.
Jamie Mitchell (Gold Coast, Australia) at Maverick’s, California on December 20, 2014.
Nic Vaughan (Rancho Palos Verdes, California, USA) at Maverick’s, California on December 20, 2014.
XXL Biggest Wave Nominees
Ross Clarke-Jones (Avoca Beach, New South Wales, Australia) at Nazaré, Portugal on December 11, 2014.
Mick Corbett (Perth, WA, Australia) at Cow Bombie, Australia on August 9, 2014.
Jarryd Foster (Dodges Ferry, Tasmania, Australia) at Cow Bombie, Australia on August 9, 2014.
Sebastian Steudtner (Nuremberg, Germany) at Nazaré, Portugal on December 11, 2014.
Hugo Vau (Terceira, Azores, Portugal) at Nazaré, Portugal on December 11, 2014.
Tube Nominees
Mick Corbett (Perth, WA, Australia) at Cow Bombie, Australia on August 9, 2014.
Matahi Drollet (Tahiti, French Polynesia) at Teahupo’o, Tahiti on September 11, 2014.
Dean Morrison (Gold Coast, Australia) at The Right, Australia on April 18, 2014.
Brad Norris (Perth, WA, Australia) at The Right, Australia on April 18, 2014.
Chris Ross (Margaret River, WA, Australia) at The Right, Australia on April 18, 2014.
