With all he’s accomplished and all the giant waves he’s ridden around the world, it call comes back to Dungeon’s for Grant “Twiggy” Baker. Ominous and foreboding, situated off the coast of Cape Town, it’s where Baker’s big-wave journey began. And all these years later, with an entry into the 2024 SURFER Big Wave Challenge, there goes that man!
Last year, on the day of the year (August 24, 2023, to be specific), Twiggy no-paddled his way into a monster. Footage of the ride, captured by ace lensman Alan van Gysen, shows Twig casually getting to his feet and setting up for the drop. About a third of the way down the face, this inside rail catches and is almost catastrophic, but he handles it like the grizzled legend he is.
Regaining his composure, Twiggy makes it to the bottom and is able to straight out before being eviscerated by the avalanche of whitewater behind him.
Related: Navigating South Africa’s Scariest Big Wave, with Grant “Twiggy” Baker
“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 told SURFER’s man 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.”
A lot going on out there indeed, and nobody has it as wired at Twiggy. Whether it’s at home in South Africa or cruising California at Maverick’s, the man’s in a category unto himself when it comes to chasing, riding and conquering big waves.
How will Twiggy’s wave of the day at Dungeon’s stack up to the other entries in the SURFER Big Wave Challenge? You’re just going to have to wait and see. More entries coming on the regular, stay tuned.
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