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Durban's Twiggy Takes The Big Wave Title

Durban's Twiggy Takes The Big Wave Title

Date: 2018-11-23

NAZARÉ, Portugal and Two-time Big Wave Tour Champion Grant 'Twiggy' Baker (ZAF) won the World Surf League (WSL) Big Wave Tour (BWT) NazarÈ Challenge in incredible 25-to-40-foot surf at the infamous Portuguese big-wave venue of Praia do Norte, NazarÈ.

The event launched in glassy conditions with 25-foot-plus wave-faces around the high tide mark and as the tide dropped conditions got heavier and heavier to culminate with large surf in the 35-to-40-foot range, with occasional larger sets. Mike Parsons, Big Wave Tour commissioner has granted this event a Silver coefficient, meaning results in NazarÈ will carry a 10% increase in points (e.g. 11,000 points for the winner).

A relatively discrete surfer in the opening round and the Semifinal, advancing in third place in both heats, the South African from Durban peaked at the exact right time to pull off some of the most incredible drops and rides seen all day in NazarÈ during the Final. The tall and powerful regular foot went both to his forehand and backhand in the Final to score an incredible 8.67 and 7.70 on his way to a first victory in Portugal.

"I don't believe it, this is insane," Baker stated. "These kids were going so hard today and I can't believe I've still got that in me. That 8.67 was the wave I'd been waiting for, it came right to me and I ended up being super late, it was a crazy big section. What a day, just perfect, perfect NazarÈ, it's a dream. Lucas (Chianca) was the man to beat and Natxo (Gonzalez) got that crazy barrel in the semis, somehow I got lucky and I got out on top!"

The 2013 and 2016 Big Wave Tour Champion, Baker has time and time again proven to be a threat in all conditions when the waves hit maximum heights. Today he came out on top of one of the best days of big wave professional surfing ever seen.