South African Surfer Wins at Surfing’s “Academy Awards”
The awards-ceremony considered to be the Academy Awards of Surfing, the the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards, was held at a glittering event in California last week and a South African won two categories.
Durbanite Grant “Twiggy” Baker received the Billabong XXL Biggest Wave award for a riding a wave that was measured at 20 metres (61 foot) at Tafelberg Reef, near Hout Bay in Cape Town, in August last year. He also collected the Surfline Best Overall Performance award for his dedication in pursuing huge surf and competing in big wave events all over the world during the past 12 months.
He was also nominated for the Monster Paddle award and his tow partner, Greg Long from California, who had towed Baker into the wave at Tafelberg, won the premier Billabong XXL Ride of the Year award and a cash prize of US$50 000 (approximately R450 000) for his incredible tube ride on a 10 metre wave at nearby Dungeons during the Red Bull Big Wave Africa event in July 2008.
Baker received $15 000 (approximately R140 000), a Honda Aquatrax personal watercraft and an HSA sled for his XXL Biggest Wave. He also earned a further $5 000 for the Overall Performance award.
Cape Town-based photographers Alan van Gysen and Brenton Geach, and video company Fixerfilm/Hutchmotion, shared $4 000 for providing the images which determined the XXL Biggest Wave winner. Fixerfilm/Red Bull BWA scooped up the $5 000 for their video footage of Long’s Ride of the Year.
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Billabong Re-Signs Sean Holmes
South African surfing champion Sean Holmes has just been re-signed by Billabong, Kustom and VonZipper to extend his role as one of their team riders for another three years.
The 31-year old is best known for his incredible surfing at Supertubes in Jeffreys Bay and particularly his feats as an uber-wildcard in the Billabong Pro ASP World Tour event where he twice eliminated former three-time World Champion, Hawaiian Andy Irons in Round 3, earning him the nickname of ‘The Nemesis’. Sean also gained international acclaim by winning the Red Bull Big Wave Africa event at Dungeons in 2000.
“Sean is one of South Africa’s greatest surfers and he has not reached his full potential on the world stage,” said Billabong South Africa CEO, Ernest Bendeman. “With the way the world ranking system is evolving the timing for Sean is perfect – he is surfing better than ever and he could cause some major upsets. He is truly an asset to our team.”
Sean who is a former Billabong SA marketing manager and now the marketing manager for a national restaurant chain, is looking forward to raising his game, competing internationally and assisting with the Billabong Adventure Division where he and big wave chargers Grant Baker and Greg Long will challenge some of the world’s biggest waves that batter the coastline of the Cape Peninsula every winter.
The Capetonian says he is looking forward to his future big wave exploits. “I’ve never really put my mind to competing in big waves but I’ve been free-diving for training and feel that my mind is now in the right place.”
“I’ll also be trying to get into the 6-Star rated Cold Water Classic events in big, hollow waves in Cape Town, Scotland, Canada, Tasmania and Santa Cruz,” added Holmes. “And of course I’m looking forward to contesting the VZ Wildcard Trials at Supers again and hopefully the trials of a couple of other World Tour events, as well as specialty contests like the Billabong Cloud Nine in the Philippines and the Quik Goodwave in Durban.”
“It was an easy decision to make as I received a huge amount of support from the SA surfing fraternity to start competing again,” commented Holmes. “I’m going to free up more time at work, spend a lot more time in the water and it’s going to be exciting giving it another go.”
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