If asked whether you'd rather view the past year's top five big-wave surfing rides or the five most spectacular wipeouts, how would you answer?
If you chose the latter, you're in luck. The Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards annually honors the surfer deemed to have endured the most punishing wipeout during the competition's 12-month window, which recently closed.
The five finalists are featured in the accompanying video and winners in Wipeout of the Year and other categories will be announced May 4 during a ceremony at the Grove Theater in Anaheim.
All of the wipeouts are impressive, given that each surfer was ferociously pummeled, yet managed to escape without serious injury.
But Brazilians Felipe Cesarano and Rodrigo Koxa probably are favorites, based on the absurd thickness of the waves at Teahupoo last Aug. 27, when several other surfers were left badly bruised and lacerated.
But from the non-Teahupoo wipeouts, Danny Griffith appears to have endured the worst after being tripped up by a sucking ledge at the bottom of a wave that literally exploded atop the surfer last Oct. 26 at Shipstern Bluff in Tasmania.
That said, the wipeouts of Mark Mathews (Western Australia) and Garrett McNamara (Jaws, Maui) are no slouches, either.
May the best victim win!
-- Pete Thomas
Editor's note: Nominees in all categories, including the prestigious Ride of the Year (worth $50,000 to the winner), are featured on the contest website. Fans can also view the contest Facebook page.
WIPEOUT!!
Posted by: Urban Surfer | May 28, 2012 at 07:09 AM