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The Big Wave Tour Explained
WSL
What happens on the Big Wave Tour is insane. And the people that make it happen probably are, too. But what's even crazier to them is staying on land while the thrill of riding a giant wave washes by.
When the sea gets huge and we backpedal towards higher ground, they run towards it. They roar to life.
And when that little human figure rockets down the face of a giant wave, we hold our breath as they charge towards whatever lies over the edge. Welcome to the 2018-19 Big Wave tour. Here's everything you need to know:
When: October 1, 2018 - March 31, 2019. Events are called on with 48 hours notice.
Big Wave Tour Events:
With the Nazaré Challenge and the Jaws Challenge running earlier this year, the only event left of the season is Mavericks. The Mavericks Challenge event window opened on November 1 and will run through March 31.
The Call: During the Big Wave season window, the WSL Big Wave team is constantly monitoring an array of weather charts and tracking big storms crossing the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans with the help of our forecasting partner, Surfline. The waves must be a consistent minimum 25 feet on the face of the wave throughout the entire time of competition. Wind, tide and the effects they have will play a part when making the call.
Tour Format: There are three events comprising the men's Big Wave Tour and two events comprising the women's Big Wave Tour. Surfers are awarded points on the basis of their placing in each event, with a "size coefficient" rating adding extra points for contests experiencing extremely large swells. After the final event or at the close of the window on March 31, these points are totaled, and both the male and female competitor with the highest number of points wins the Big Wave World Title.
Event Format: In the men's division, 24 competitors are divided into four heats of six surfers for the first round. Heats are generally 45 minutes and surfers may catch as many waves as they wish 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 being doubled. The three highest scoring surfers advance on to the semifinals, which run in the same format. The final heat is generally one hour in length.
The women's division runs on a similar format with 10 competitors participating in two five-surfer semifinals with the top three in each advancing to their final.
How to Watch: When it's on, you can watch on worldsurfleague.com or Facebook LIVE. For Big Wave updates, follow @wsl or subscribe to email notifications here.
Nazaré Challenge Competitor List:
Men:
Jaws Challenge Competitor List:
Men:
Women:
Mavericks Challenge Competitor List:
Men:
Women:
For more information on the Men's Big Wave Tour click here.
For more information on the Women's Big Wave Tour click here.
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