Jeff Clark once said, “It’s a culmination of your life of surfing when you turn and paddle in at Mavericks.” That’s also true of maxing Dungeons, South Africa’s premiere big wave. Those two venues are where Grant “Twiggy” Baker, Jojo Roper and Alo Slebir paddled into the tallest waves of the year. It’s a daunting task to turn and go when waves like this come through the lineup, but that’s just how these guys roll. Their efforts secured them into the 2024 SURFER Big Wave Challenge for the Men’s Biggest Paddle award. Find out who the winner is at the BWC award ceremony in Nazaré on October 19. For now, let’s review the three nominees.
This is a very Twiggy wave. By that, I mean that he looks so in control making a ludicrous drop at Dungeons, one of the heaviest, nastiest rights on the planet. Don’t believe me? Take it from Twig himself: “It was big. About 25-foot plus, with 50 to 60-foot faces, so when I paddled out there, I knew there was an opportunity to catch a winning/world record wave out there in the 60-foot realm. And that’s what I went out there to do,” Twiggy said SURFER’s correspondent in South Africa, Craig Jarvis. “As for heaviness, Dungeons at that size is as heavy as it gets. For me, Dungeons at that size is the scariest big wave in the world,” continued Twig. “There’s the shark factor, and Seal Island is something that you can smell offshore. The wave runs into deep water, and there’s that deep water channel between the island and those inside waves that you get washed into. There’s a lot going on when you’re out there.”
Related: Navigating South Africa’s Scariest Big Wave, with Grant “Twiggy” Baker
Jojo Roper dropped into this Mavericks bowl on about three hours of sleep. Heading from Fiji to Los Angeles to San Diego to San Francisco in less than 48 hours, Roper got out to the lineup at first light with his sparring partner Luca Padua. With the morning rays washing over the peak, the right looks a shade of green as Roper stroked in. The wave earned him a check for the biggest paddle wave at the 2024 Mavericks Awards. And with this BWC entry, there could be more cash on the way.
Related: Watch Jojo Roper’s Biggest Paddle Wave at Mavericks in 2024
While we’re on the subject of Mavericks, lest we forget Alo Slebir, the 23-year-old Santa Cruz surfer who has been not so silently killing it up north for the last few seasons. He’s one of the few capable of towing the place at its ugliest and getting the chip shot into a sucking cylinder. The latter is underscored here. Often described as the world’s biggest slab, Mavs throws Slebir a curveball midway through the drop. Check out how hard the wave spits as Slebir commits. A lump of whitewater lurches into his path, but he plows right through it. And that was just the start of his season.
Related: This 23-Year-Old Is A 2X Performer of the Year at Mavericks