Big Wave

It was a night to remember at the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards at the Grove Theatre in Anaheim Friday night. Dozens of limos were parked outside and cameras were flashing as a star-studded field of spectators showed up. Surf stars were hanging, like the nose-ride king from the 60s, David Nuuhiwa; off-the-wall tube specialist Shaun Tompson; former world champ "P.T." Peter Townend; big-wave standouts Peter Mel and Darryl "Flea" Virostko; Surfing mag editor Evan Slater; Surfline guru Sean Collins and more.

RICK FIGNETTI The first big, macking northwest swell of the year hit this week, giving us some pretty good-sized waves at our Surf City beaches. On Monday, as the swell filled in, the size increased through the afternoon. The pier was a couple-feet- plus overhead, with some pretty nice workable rights on the north side. The south side was working, too, with both rights and lefts. Down at the Cliffs, it was even bigger as the outside reef Box Cars started to break.

RICK FIGNETTI The first World Championship Tour surfing event, the Quiksilver Pro, was run in some fun surf at Snapper Rocks, Australia. Local surfer Mick Fanning, back from injury, was in top form to take the win and cash purse of $30,000. Fanning had a nasty injury in Indo last year and had to take a lot of the 2004 season off. He would've missed the cut, but was awarded a wildcard injury slot from the Assn. of Surfing Professionals to surf this new season.

RICK FIGNETTI The Grove was rocking the other night for the Billabong XXL Surf Awards ceremony, with shots of thundering monster waves and surfers who were going for it in life or death situations. Surfers from around the globe were in hunt of the biggest wave in a few different categories. Catching the biggie of the year, a face measurement of 68 feet, was veteran rider, Sunset Beach resident and Hawaiian waterman Dan Moore. Moore, 48, toed into Jaws' giant right-hand wall at Maui on Dec. 15. Early in the session, Moore lost his board and got bashed in the face while retrieving it, suffering a concussion and bruises.

Coming up Friday is one of the biggest and most fun gigs for the surfing world — the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards at the Grove of Anaheim. This pertains to the biggest waves ridden from March 21, 2009, to March 19, 2010. Some of the different categories will be Ride of the Year, which usually features the gnarliest, most advanced and committed surfers going for it in big-time surf. The guys pull into barrels that don’t look makeable. This will win $50,000. Some surfers up for the award are Hawaiian Shane Dorian, who had some heavy giant suck-out rides at that super-hollow left Teahupoo in Tahiti on March 17. Also, on that same day, Tahitians Manoa Drollet and Raimana Van Bastolaer scored some huge barrels and got spit out of a few impossible ones.

RICK FIGNETTI A big storm went by last week and sent some Aleutian juice down the California coastline, as the buoy readings picked up the swell big time. That sent Mavericks contest organizer and founding surf spot pioneer Jeff Clark scurrying to get the "Mavs" Big Wave event started. Big-wave riders came flying in from Hawaii and Brazil, along with some of the new guard big-wave shredders from the West Coast to Half Moon Bay. The contest was on, with surf running 25 to 40 feet, breaking off the point and pretty decent shape the first part of last week through last Wednesday's finals.

RICK FIGNETTI The first big west swell finally started hitting the North Shore of Hawaii the past few days. And when we think of big waves, we think of the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Classic at Waimea Bay. The specifications are that the surf be at least 20 feet, and in true Hawaiian style that's 40-foot faces. That's pretty gnarly, and there's definitely a life-or-death situation going on out there. There is the possibility of drowning or getting hit by your board and being knocked out unconscious in the danger zone.

It's big-wave time, right smack in the middle of winter here in Cali. Way up north last Saturday was the opening day's ceremonies for the annual big-wave contest at Maverick's. The waiting period runs from Jan. 1 to March 31, during which 24 qualifying surfers will be on standby, waiting for the call that the massive waves have arrived. Maverick's is a point break off a harbor entrance at Half Moon Bay, and can handle the big northwest 30- to 40-foot waves that roll down the coastline this time of year.

We hear it when the surfing superstars of the world make their little comments about the waves in Huntington Beach. They say it all the time, and they were saying it during the U.S. Open a few weeks ago. After Lakey Peterson won the women's title, she said: "The Final was really slow and I was pretty bummed because I wish we both could have got some really good waves. I'm so stoked and I really wanted to win on a high note. " Granted, the waves aren't always slammin' like the North Shore in the wintertime, but still, it gets a little old. So I had to chuckle a little bit when I read that the Billabong Pro in Tahiti, the latest stop on the men's Assn.

Bob "Lefty" Phillips may or may not be the oldest surfer in Huntington Beach, but according to his granddaughter Ashlee Spuhler, the title is his. At least until someone proves otherwise. Phillips turned 83 this week, and also got out in the water on his 10-foot Becker surfboard, part of a routine that has him out there two or three times a week, depending on the weather and conditions. It keeps him busy and active in his retirement, even though it's only been six months since he retired as an insurance inspector.

Coming up Friday is one of the biggest and most fun gigs for the surfing world — the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards at the Grove of Anaheim. This pertains to the biggest waves ridden from March 21, 2009, to March 19, 2010. Some of the different categories will be Ride of the Year, which usually features the gnarliest, most advanced and committed surfers going for it in big-time surf. The guys pull into barrels that don’t look makeable. This will win $50,000. Some surfers up for the award are Hawaiian Shane Dorian, who had some heavy giant suck-out rides at that super-hollow left Teahupoo in Tahiti on March 17. Also, on that same day, Tahitians Manoa Drollet and Raimana Van Bastolaer scored some huge barrels and got spit out of a few impossible ones.

It has been a pretty dry winter thus far in the Southland, with the local mountain resorts relying on artificial snow guns to make it happen. But the last two storms earlier in the week gave a much-needed boost to the 2007 ski and snowboard season. Most resorts picked up 6 to 8 inches of new snow, providing some soft, shreddable powder. Base depths are 1 to 4 feet, and with the colder temperatures they were able to add even more snow with the snow blowers to really take advantage of these last lows going by. There's another storm expected, so there's another chance of snow tonight.