XXL Awards - all the winners of the years biggest waves

The XXL Awards have come and gone this past weekend and there was no victory for the South African big wave contingent this year. Jeremy Johnson, of Hout Bay in Cape Town, had a serious Wave of the Year contender from late last year in Ireland, but unfortunately did not win. Oh, well, always next year!

NEWPORT BEACH, CA – (April 30, 2011) – The eleventh annual Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards fueled by Monster Energy climaxed in Anaheim, California last night as Brazilian Danilo Couto scooped top honors for Ride of the Year.  Couto earned $50,000 and the keys to a new Toyota Tacoma truck for a paddle-in wave conquered at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii during one of the biggest swells of the year.
Couto, who has been living in Hawaii for many years in his personal quest to ride bigger and bigger waves, was ecstatic as he accepted his award from skateboard legend Tony Hawk.
“I’ve been feeling really good for two months, ever since I caught that wave,” said Couto. “I couldn’t sleep for days, knowing I had done something so special. To be a part of surf history, to have an impact … it’s special.”
Prior to this winter’s paddle-in assault, the Jaws break had long been regarded as a spot so difficult to ride a jet-ski tow in assist was required.
Couto's winning wave -

Hawaiian Shane Dorian officially surfed into the record books for paddling into his own outrageous wave at Jaws, Maui (judged to be 57 ft on the face), easily winning the Monster Paddle Award. Dorian also captured the Monster Tube Award for his heroics later on the same wave, as he pulled into one of the greatest barrels of all time.
“It was an epic swell, a real late season swell,” recalled Dorian. “I didn’t really catch a lot of big waves throughout the whole year…I was just stoked the swell came my way, near my house in Maui, and we scored. The Monster Tube award is pretty special –I mean every surfer wants to get tubed, right?”

Benjamin Sanchis, flying all the way from France to attend the festivities, took top honors for the Billabong XXL Biggest Wave Award with a wave measured at 67 feet on the face.

“I’m not only happy for myself, but I’m stoked for Europe”, said a beaming Sanchis. “This is a big win and I’m really proud, I’m really happy. The wave, Belharra, is about 30 minutes from my house. It wasn’t even a big day for that spot, it gets bigger for sure.”

Rides at Belharra Reef (in the Basque Country near the French/Spanish border) have been nominated numerous times in XXL history, but this was the first victory for the famed European break.



Kauai surfer Sion Milosky — who tragically drowned last month at Maverick’s in Northern California — posthumously won the Surfline Best Men’s Performance Award for a string of outstanding high surf sessions. Milosky was the first top-level big wave surfer to die while surfing big waves since the XXL awards were established in 2000.

Milosky’s wife, children and father accepted the award on Sion’s behalf following an emotional tribute by friend and previous Ride of the Year winner Ken “Skindog” Collins of Santa Cruz. Several winners donated their prize money to the Milosky Family Fund, including Shane Dorian and Australian Mark Mathews, who captured the Verizon Wipeout Award.



2011 Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards Results:

BILLABONG XXL RIDE OF THE YEAR AWARD

WINNER: Danilo Couto (Bahia, Brazil) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on February 8, 2011. ($50,000 plus a year lease on a 2011 Toyota Tacoma truck)

Video by Elliot Leboe ($5,000)

SECOND PLACE: David Scard (Caloundra, Queensland, Australia) at Cloudbreak, Fiji on September 20, 2010. ($5,000)

THIRD PLACE: Mark Healey (Sunset Beach, Hawaii, USA) at Outer Reef, Oahu, Hawaii on January 20, 2011. ($1,500)

FOURTH PLACE: Michael Brennan (Hobart, Tasmania, Australia) at Shipstern Bluff, Tasmania on April 10, 2010. ($1,500)

FIFTH PLACE: Benjamin Sanchis (Hossegor, France) at Mullaghmore Head, Ireland on February 13, 2011. ($1,500)

MONSTER PADDLE AWARD

WINNER: Shane Dorian (Kona, Hawaii, USA) at Jaws, Hawaii, on March 15, 2011. ($15,000)

Photo by Batel Shimi. ($4,000)

BILLABONG XXL BIGGEST WAVE AWARD

WINNER: Benjamin Sanchis (Hossegor, France) at Belharra, France on February 16, 2011. ($15,000)

Photo by Bastien Bonnarme. ($4,000)

MONSTER TUBE AWARD

WINNER: Shane Dorian (Kona, Hawaii, USA) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii, on March 15, 2011. ($5,000)

Photo by Bruno Lemos. ($2,000)

SURFLINE BEST OVERALL PERFORMANCE AWARD

Sion Milosky (Lawai, Kauai, USA) – $5,000

FIVE BILLABONG GIRLS BEST PERFORMANCE AWARD

Keala Kennelly (Honolulu, Hawaii, USA) – $5,000

VERIZON WIPEOUT AWARD

Mark Mathews (Maroubra, New South Wales, Australia) at Shipstern Bluff, Tasmania on April 6, 2010. ($2,000 and a Samsung Tab by Verizon)

Video by Andrew Chisholm. ($1,000)