Surf Line 55

Forecasts for the Big Wave Award will be provided by Surfline, known world-wide for its unparalleled track record, especially for surfers in search of gigantic waves. They provided the advance notice for the Reef Todos Big Wave Challenge, where Taylor Knox won $50,000 for catching a 52-foot monster in 1998. Surfline will provide the same service this year for big-wave riders, web visitors and the media. "The La Nina syndrome contributed to a generally poor year of big wave riding during this past 1999-2000 winter season. The long range outlook for the upcoming 2000-2001 season promises to be much better," says Surfline founder Sean Collins. "The current positioning of upper level atmospheric systems will encourage the North Pacific storm track to drop much further to the South this season resulting in many more big wave events compared to what we had last year. Great timing for the XXL!"

Visitors to www.swell.com can follow the Big Wave Awards on a daily basis, including:

-- Postings of all award entries in still photo and video formats

as they come in

-- Surfline big-wave forecasts and e-mail alerts

-- Polls allowing users to vote for their BWA favorites

-- Information on all this winter's big-wave events and spots to

watch

-- Analysis of the surfers most likely to be in contention for

the big prizes

-- A full BWA product selection, including hats, T-shirts and

posters for sale, to augment Swell's already substantial

offering of surf-related merchandise.

Most serious big-wave surfers spend the off-season training for large winter swells, and some say the XXL event has given them extra incentive this year. Riding surf in the 20-foot-plus range is a life-threatening pursuit, and the people who do it must be prepared -- both physically and mentally. "Every large swell from Maverick's to Maui brings out the world's best surfers," says Swell Editor and Event Director Evan Slater, himself a respected big-wave surfer. "The Big Wave Awards provide the means necessary to share each of these amazing efforts with the world and to reward all the talent and guts big-wave surfers have."

Judged by an expert panel comprised of Swell editorial staffers, surf magazine luminaries and big-wave surfers not in contention, entries will be submitted in still photo and video formats. Head Judge Bill Sharp, contest director of the 1997 K2 Big-Wave Challenge event and current publisher of Surf News magazine, leads the daunting role of selecting one surfer who will receive the single largest cash prize in surfing's history. "In the course of any given winter, there are so many epic rides on mammoth waves that it almost defies logic to award just one," says Sharp. "But the advances made since the '97 event in big-wave surfing almost demand that we do this. The boundaries are being pushed beyond what we ever thought possible."