The first nominees for the 2025 Big Wave Challenge are here. Albee Layer, Wilem Banks and Ty Simpson-Kane are the three finalists for the Men’s Paddle award and, fittingly, their rides all took place on the same morning in the same place: December 22, 2024, at Jaws.
In partnership with Bill Sharp and the Big Wave Challenge, SURFER will be sharing all the nominees for each category in the coming week. The winners will be revealed at the Big Wave Challenge awards show presented by Aquamar Seafood on September 13 in Newport Beach.
Putting recency bias aside, as paddle-waves go, these are historically good rides. Wilem’s elevator drop into the flats (on his fourth-ever Jaws session) has generated some potential world record buzz. Don’t blink when he gets to the bottom and navigates the froth. A treacherous path, but he came out clean.
Related: Biggest Wave Ever Paddled? Wilem Banks Has A Case On This Jaws Bomb
Meanwhile, Albee soul-arched in the pocket of a true monster. Even for a guy who puts his body on the line to get barreled, he had to take a moment to appreciate how this thing shaped up for him. And before he went viral for his cartwheels, Ty dropped into a bomb with his own two hands. Top-notch contenders all the way around. I can’t recall if an XXL award has ever had all three paddle nominees from one single day. Towing, probably, but prone? There’s a reason this was a day to remember.
Related: How Albee Layer Surfed 2 of his Best and Worst Waves of His Life in the Same Session