One Paddle, One Tow Tour

TWIG ON A BOUGH: Grant Baker is dwarfed by a massive set wave at Jaws. Photo WSL / Morris

The waiting period for the Quiksilver Jaws Big Wave Challenge pres. by TUDOR in Pe’ahi, Maui, Hawaii, and the TUDOR Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge pres. by Hurley in Nazaré, Portugal, will run until 31 March next year. The best 24 male and 12 female big wave surfers in the world are on standby to activate at a moment's notice and travel to one of the two world-class venues, depending on the forecast aligning correctly.

The WSL Tours and Competition Team will look for consistent surf, with a minimum 25 feet on the face of the wave throughout the competition. Other conditions, such as wind and tide, will be assessed in the decision to run the competitions.

If a large swell tracks toward the contest location(s) with favorable weather conditions, the WSL Tours and Competition team will issue a “TUDOR Big Wave Yellow Alert” as far as 72 hours out from the potential event run date. If the conditions continue to track favorably, the “TUDOR Big Wave Green Alert” will be issued, meaning the competition will be ON, and fans can prepare to watch surfers push the limits of what is possible on one of the world’s craziest waves in the next 24 hours.

NAZARE WEDGIE: Maya Gabeira sets up another tow-in out at Nazare. Photo WSL / Blanc

Jaws (also known as Pe’ahi), and Nazaré are two of the most renowned and respected waves in the big wave community. Each location is a significant proving ground for the paddle-in and tow-in disciplines, respectively, and the sites of historical World Records for the largest waves ever ridden.

Due to its power, velocity, and ability to be one of the most perfect big waves on the planet, Jaws is the standard when it comes to paddle-in big wave surfing. Nazare, on the other hand, will showcase the best of big wave surfing in the tow-in discipline tackling waves at the venue that holds several Big Wave World Records.

The Quiksilver Jaws Big Wave Challenge pres. by TUDOR will feature paddle-in surfing in an individual competition format. In the men’s division, 24 competitors are divided into four heats of six surfers for the first round. The three highest-scoring surfers advance to the Semifinals, which run in the same format, and the top three surfers from the Semifinals advance to the Final. The women’s division runs in a similar format with 12 competitors participating in two six-surfer Semifinals with the top three surfers in each heat advancing to the Final.

ANKLE SNAPPER: Even from far away, the setup at Jaws is scarily impressive. Photo WSL / Saguibo

New this year, and for the first time ever at Jaws, we will see six-surfer priority come into play. Priority is the system that is in line with all other tours, and controls who has the first option to ride a wave. The priority system was highly requested by the surfers and is beneficial for Jaws because it creates organization and added safety in the lineup on massive swells. Heats are generally 45 minutes and surfers may catch as many waves as they wish, respecing priority, with a panel of five judges scoring each ride on a scale of 1 to 10. Each competitor’s two best waves are counted, with their best wave score doubled.

Quiksilver Jaws Big Wave Challenge pres. by TUDOR Invitees:

Male Invitees
1 - Billy Kemper (HAW)
2 - Ian Walsh (HAW)
3 - Nathan Florence (HAW)
4 - Kai Lenny (HAW)
5 - Makua Rothman (HAW)
6 - Lucas Chianca (BRA)
7 - Russell Bierke (AUS)
8 - Nic von Rupp (PRT)
9 - Eli Olson (HAW)
10 - Torrey Meister (HAW)
11 - Koa Rothman (HAW)
12 - Nic Lamb (USA)
13 - Grant Baker (RSA)
14 - Jamie Mitchell (AUS)
15 - Albee Layer (HAW)
16 - Tyler Larronde (HAW)
17 - Jojo Roper (USA)
18 - Ty Simpson-Kane (HAW)
19 - Matt Bromley (RSA)
20 - Francisco Porcella (ITA)
21 - Trevor Carlson (HAW)
22- Tom Lowe (GBR)
23 - Aaron Gold (HAW)
24 - Greg Long (USA)

Female Invitees
1 - Paige Alms (HAW)
2 - Felicity Palmateer (AUS)
3 - Annie Reickert (HAW)
4 - Keala Kennelly (HAW)
5 - Emily Erickson (HAW)
6 - Michaela Fregonese (BRA)
7 - Bianca Valenti (USA)
8 - Skylar Lickle (HAW)
9 - Justine Dupont (FRA)
10 - Raquel Heckert (BRA)
11 - Laura Enever (AUS)
12 - Izzy Gomez (COL)