- WSL / @PabloJimenez photo Makuakai Rothman (HAW) on the road to his first victory of the BWT season at the 2015 Quiksilver Ceremonial.

Caption: Makuakai Rothman (HAW) claimed victory at the first WSL BWT event of the 2015/2016 season, the Quiksilver Ceremonial.
Credit: WSL/Jimenez

PUNTA DE LOBOS, Chile (Friday, May 1, 2015) - Reigning World Surf League (WSL) Big Wave Champion Makuakai Rothman (HAW) emerged victorious today at the opening event of the 2015/2016 WSL Big Wave season, the Quiksilver Ceremonial Chile, in pumping 20-foot-plus surf at Punta de Lobos. 2015 marks the first time the contest has run since since 2011.

While the swell was late arriving yesterday, WSL event organizers opted to split competition over the course of two days to take advantage of the largest surf available, adhering to the League's philosophy of placing the world's best surfers in the best possible surf.

The gambit paid off this morning as 20'-25'-foot surf greeted the remaining 12 competitors this morning for the Semifinals followed by an exciting Final that saw six of the world's best big wave surfers battle for victory.

Rothman pulled into a barrel on his opening wave for an excellent 8.13, showing commitment in the large surf. Rothman took a late drop towards the end of the heat to secure his victory with a second 8-point ride. Another wave in the final seconds closed out around him but he held off the rest of the field to claim the first event of the season and retain the no. 1 position on the BWT rankings.

Cristian Merello (CHL) netted the highest single-wave score of the Final, an 8.30, for a long ride with twenty minutes remaining. The score helped him secure a runner-up finish today.

Ramon Navarro (CHL) finished in third place after being the first surfer to post a score of significance in the Final, a 6.77. He quickly improved his score with a 7.77 despite being engulfed by the whitewash and not completing the ride. Navarro previously won through his Semifinal heat thanks to a near-perfect 9.70 for a deep drop and barrel ride.

2013/14 Big Wave Tour Champion Grant "Twiggy" Baker (ZAF) also looked in impressive form today, winning Semifinal 1 before moving through to the Final. Despite a solid 7.97, Baker was unable to find a strong back-up score and, with just two waves ridden during the hour-long final, takes home 5th place.

Nic Lamb (USA) and Mark Mathews (AUS) completed the Final, placing 4th and 6th respectively.

Quiksilver Ceremonial Punta de Lobos Final Results:
1: Makua Rothman (HAW) - 24.29
2: Cristian Merello (CHL) - 23.17
3: Ramon Navarro (CHL) - 22.31
4: Nic Lamb (USA) - 20.74
5: Grant Baker (ZAF) - 19.79
6: Mark Mathews (AUS) - 17.97

Quiksilver Ceremonial Punta de Lobos Semifinal Match-Ups:
SF 1: Grant Baker (ZAF) 24.23, Cristian Merello (CHL) 19.77, Makuakai Rothman (HAW) 16.67, Koa Rothman (HAW) 16.49, Marcos Monteiro (BRA) 15.19, Mark Healey (HAW) 14.24
SF 2: Ramon Navarro (CHL) 26.30, Mark Mathews (AUS) 25.93, Nic Lamb (USA) 25.34, Damien Hobgood (USA) 24.49, Diego Medina (CHL) 19.77, Carlos Burle (BRA) 6.37

Quiksilver Ceremonial Punta de Lobos Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Grant Baker (ZAF) 25.99, Marcos Monteiro (BRA) 25.21, Koa Rothman (HAW) 25.00, Frank Solomon (ZAF) 19.54, Federico Mekis (CHL) 15.57, Gabriel Villaran (PER) 8.34
Heat 2: Mark Healey (HAW) 26.83, Cristian Merello (CHL) 24.47, Makuakai Rothman (HAW) 24.23, Reinalda Ibarra (CHL) 21.40, Nathan Fletcher (USA) 18.87, Miguel Tudela (PER) 10.27
Heat 3: Nic Lamb (USA) 27.49, Mark Mathews (AUS) 24.00, Ramon Navarro (CHL) 22.37, Fernando Zegers (CHL) 20.67, Alex Gray (USA) 20.16, Natxo Gonzalez (EUK) 13.06
Heat 4: Diego Medina (CHL) 23.31, Carlos Burle (BRA) 20.21, Damien Hobgood (USA) 19.63, Josh Kerr (AUS) 17.97, Jamie Sterling (HAW) 12.34, Anthony Tashnick (USA) 2.66

With a seven-event tour spanning Chile, Peru, Mainland Mexico, Baja California, Hawaii, the Basque Country and the Pacific Northwest, the 2015/2016 WSL Big Wave Tour features big wave icons such as Grant Baker (ZAF), Greg Long (USA), reigning world champion Makuakai Rothman (HAW) amongst others as they battle one another in the biggest surf on the planet.

2015/16 WSL Big Wave Tour:

Southern Hemisphere:
Quiksilver Ceremonial: Punta de Lobos, Chile (April 15, 2015 - August 31, 2015) - won by Makuakai Rothman (HAW)
Billabong Pico Alto: Pico Alto, Peru (May 15, 2015 - August 31, 2015)
Puerto Escondido Challenge: Puerto Escondido, Mexico (May 15, 2015 - August 31, 2015)

Northern Hemisphere:
Oregon Challenge: Lincoln City, Oregon (October 15, 2015 - February 28, 2016)
Punta Galea Challenge: Punta Galea, Basque Country Spain (October 15, 2015 - February 28, 2016)
Pea'hi Challenge: Haiku, Hawaii (October 15, 2015 - February 28, 2016) Todos Santos Challenge: Todos Santo, Mexico (November 15, 2015 - March 31, 2016)

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