2011 Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic opens October 1st

The waiting period for the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic starts October 1, 2011 and extends till December 31, 2011.

On 48 hour notice the best big wave surfers on the planet will drop everything and make their way to Lincoln City for the 7th Annual big wave competition, the third stop of the third season of the Big Wave World Tour.

Surfline, the official forecaster of the BWWT will provide global swell forecasts, while John Forse, Nelscott’s local and event organizer will provide the local knowledge, to once again, call the event on the best day of the year. The Nelscott is the longest continuously running big wave contest in the world as John Forse has successfully called the event the last 6 years on the most memorable day of the winter!

Last years contest saw some of the biggest waves ever surfed in competition with both rights and lefts, in the 50 foot range, breaking quarter mile off the coast of Lincoln City. The event was won by dark horse Kohl Christianson (Hawaii), while Jamie Sterling sealed his Big Wave World Tour Championship title with a third place finish. Last year’s edition, the first as part of the BWWT, cemented Nelscott’s reputation as one of the best performance big waves in the world.

The top 12 surfers from the Big Wave World Tour, including World Champions Carlos Burle (Brazil) and Jamie Sterling (Hawaii) along with big wave stars like Greg Long (USA), Ramon Navarro (Chile) and Chile’s winner Marcos Monteiro (Brazil) will join 12 event invitees to compete in this year event.

The previous stops on the tour were the Quiksilver Punta de Lobos (Chile) and the Billabong Pico Alto (Peru). Californian big wave legend and one of Nelscott pioneers, Peter Mel (USA) took an early lead in the BWWT ranking with his win in Peru. Peter will compete in Nelscott hoping to increase his lead, however with both Nelscott and the Peligroso at Todos Santos (Mexico) remaining in the season, the title is still up for grabs!

Last year Nelscott was the first big wave competition to incorporate a women’s exhibition heat which was won by Keala Kennely (Hawaii). This year again the top women big wave chargers will gather for an Exhibition Session. There will also be an award for the Biggest Wave surfed on Nelscott’s South Reef.

Event sponsors include Boz Wetsuits, Dakine, Liquid Militia, and Russo Surfboards, as well as Surfline.com – BWWT official forecaster and Maca SolRaiz Organics – BWWT sponsor.

The event is organized by Behemoth llc. 1820 N.E. West Devils Lake Road, Lincoln City, Oregon 97367.

Current Big Wave World Tour ranking 2011/2012:
1. Peter Mel (USA)
2. Ben Wilkinson (Australia)
3. Marcos Monteiro (Brazil)
4. Joao De Macedo (Portugal)
5. Ramon Navarro (Chile)
6. Felipe Cesarano (Brazil)