Durban big wave surfer leads big wave tour

DURBAN’S Grant ‘Twig’ Baker has consolidated his lead at the top of the 2018/2019 World Surf League (WSL) Big Wave Tour (BWT) rankings after finishing fifth in the Jaws Challenge at Pe’ahi on Maui in Hawaii.

Baker, who collected 11,000 points for winning the Nazare Challenge in Portugal last week, the first of this season’s three BWT events, earned another 5,305 points at Jaws and now leads Billy Kemper (Hawaii) by 2,960 points with just one event left on the schedule, the Mavericks Challenge in California, which Baker has won twice in the past.

Competing in gigantic 10 to 16 metre (30 to 50 foot) surf at the big wave venue famous for producing huge hollow waves, Baker rode one of the biggest waves of the event in his Round 1 heat on Monday, earning 7.63 out of 10 from the judges, which was enough to see him finish second in the heat and progress to the semi-finals.

ALSO READ: Durban’s Grant ‘Twig’ Baker wins big wave challenge

The fast rising swell and bumpy wave faces that caused multiple horrendous wipe-outs prompted BWT Commissioner Mike Parsons (USA) to put the event on hold after Baker’s heat due to the dangerous conditions for both the surfers and safety crew, and then call the event off for the day.

Returning on Tuesday, Baker again finished second in his semi-final heat to qualify for the final, which guaranteed that he would retain his rankings lead. In strong winds that made catching and riding the towering 10 metre plus waves, local Maui surfers dominated the 60 minute final, and Baker, the only non-Hawaiian in the final, ended in fifth place.

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