A massive barrel ride at a secret reef has secured Grant “Twiggy” Baker with the win in the first Oakley One Wave Wonder event, earning him a total of R50, 000.00 for his efforts – the biggest single wave prize purse ever exclusively for South African surfers. After five months of competition and over 150 entries, it was one big tube ride that netted him the first prize for “Ride of the Season”.
After leaving a few of the sets at the ‘Boland Reef,’ Baker eventually paddled into a big one, and after a critical take-off and drop, with him nearly losing it at the bottom of the wave, he recovered and pulled straight into a giant barrel. Completely disappearing for a few seconds, he emerged in a cloud of white-water and spray to claim what he described as “one of the best waves of my life.” The wave was enough to score the majority of votes from the event judges, as well as from the voting public, to secure him first place in the fiercely contested event, edging out previous monthly winners Jordy Smith, Shaun Joubert, Deen Hill and Brendan Gibbens in the process.
The cherry on top for Baker was that Kate Lovemore, his better half, was the videographer of the wave, and she won a trip for two as a result to G-Land – the incredible Garajagan Surf Camp at one of the best waves in the world, situated on the edge of the Javanese jungle. The trip is valued at over R30, 000.00 and it was made possible by event co-sponsor All Aboard Surf Travel. For all the submitted rides and video highlights from the event, check out Oakley 1 Wave Wonder.
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