Buh-bye Chile, Peru, Spain, Linden etc.
You heard it here third! The WSL is cutting it’s BWWT schedule, bigly!
Of course we knew the WSL was in financial peril, so their general downsizing should come as no surprise. It should also come as no surprise that according to the WSL, their downsizing isn’t actually a downsizing, but rather a more focused and streamlined contest strategy.
Let someone, whose name might rhyme with Wave BroMan, explain: As part of the WSL BWT’s dedication to running world-class big wave events on a regular basis, the 2017 BWT schedule will focus on three prestigious events: the Puerto Escondido Challenge in Mexico, the Pea’hi Challenge in Maui, Hawaii and the Nazaré Challenge in Portugal.
So who’s getting the snip? How about Punta De Lobos in Chile, Pico Alto in Peru, Punta Galea in Spain, Nelscott Reef in the US, and Todos Santos in Mexico. Five contests cut, three remain. For the sake of their season the BWWT organizers better pray they can run at least two of ’em. It takes a tour to make a title, right?
Oh, and speaking of contest organizers, Pete Mel is out! The Condor has flown his coop and can no longer don the name ‘Commissioner’. Something about running his family’s surf shop. To replace Mel, longtime Kolohe coach Mike ‘Snips” Parsons has taken the reigns.
Snips had this to say: I am really humbled and honored to be the next Big Wave Commissioner. Peter Mel and Gary Linden have been instrumental in creating the foundation for the Big Wave Tour. Thanks to the hard work of Peter, Gary and the entire big wave team, we have seen the remarkable growth and progression of the Big Wave Tour.
…Did you catch that?
“Peter Mel and Gary Linden“?
Does this mean the affluent appendage, Robbie Maddison, finally got his comeuppance? Did he threaten enough lawsuits to get 67-year-old Linden canned? I actually don’t know, as Parson’s text is a tad ambiguous, but does it not hint at Linden’s departure?
He’s an old RM quote on the topic, just to jog your memory: I hope this affects Gary’s relationship with the WSL. He’s been a prick about this.
Yowza!
Drop Brazil from the CT. Then add Peru. Bring more real waves to the tour.
So they’ve just cut five contests and ol’ Snips is calling the sport has seen remarkable growth?
How about he takes that bike to skeleton bay? Pretty far out of the way and he’ll piss less people off. Pluss he could run from the sand straight to the line up
The collapse of the tour maybe, but actual surfing is growing. Plus this is just the BWWT. They kept the only events worth watching. Two places that break top to bottom and one giant mountain of water. I bet if you look at all the downsizing going on and compare viewership numbers to previous years, they are keeping the only events that people cared to watch.
Can you tell me your favorite wave from punto de lobos last year? That contest sucked to watch. Peahi though was insane
Agreed. With the downsizing I’d wager the meager sponsorships some of the BWWT invitees have vanish. Sort of stinks for them, alot of those guys cut their teeth to make the tour a reality.
But who asked for that tour as a consumer though? The guys surfing wanted it for sure, but how many people were on the web demanding to see these broadcast outside of industry guys and older surfers? Notice how much they have to push this on their audience and hype it up to get people to care about it
It had to be enough for the powers that be to institute the tour to begin with. The WSL no doubt did the invitees wrong by making them sign the equivalent of a no compete clause prohibiting surfing in other events, asking them to show up with virtually no notice, small purses, etc. I don’t disagree with what you’re saying all together, the other events were lame aside from Mexico, Hawaii, and Portugal. Minus Dorian, Walsh, and long the BWWT would pretty much be nothing but has been surfers who couldn’t hack it on the real tour anymore or at all.
If you look at it from a business perspective the no compete makes total sense. The logistics cost of running that tour is insane vs such a small return (much smaller than a CT event). So with out the no compete any of the guys slated to run could bounce to another contest and leave ZooSea footing a massive bill for a bullshit showing of said has beens or no one at all.
The idea of a BWWT makes sense. Functional application is still being worked out obviously. Ill bet the new smaller tour does just that. I mean they are even talking downsizing the CT, which makes sense. Did you see the commercials during snapper? They are struggling to find real sponsors for something people actually want to see. If you want to see where this all goes the boogie world is about 10 years ahead of the surf world. We barely have live broadcast for our world tour events. Pipe was done by watching the surfline pipe cam. Through out the world there are many many more bodyboarders than surfers. Especially places like latin america, portugal, france, Aus, pretty much anywhere thats not the states. The only guys making money own their companies and produce their own films. Contests/the tour doesnt really matter. Our main problem is that there are 8 million brands fighting for the same slice of a small pie. Surfing will be exactly the same in a few years
Well that’s reassuring. Ha! No doubt the competitive surf scene is in peril due to many factors. Speaker saw the writing on the wall and bounced. He does deserve credit for having a vision to make surfing a bit more mainstream, even though he was heavily criticized for it. I hope they can find an answer or we might be stuck with 10 to 20 minute clips of the same old air reverse. If the WSL was smart they would listen to what actual fans want instead of pushing the same old same old. Currently the contests are too long, too many surfers, too many stops. Having a crowned champ prior to Hawaii has wrecked it as well. Time will tell, but I feel WSL 18 won’t make.
nah, bodyboarding is pretty much dead and buried in Aus. extinct.
Yeah thats right, aussies started the decline when boogies surpassed surf sales in the early 90s. Comparatively to the states though its thriving.
I can’t even remember the last time I saw a bodyboarder in the lineup. They are confined to a couple of strongholds like Cronulla etc . Otherwise, functionally extinct.
Sounds about right. We kinda have specific waves standups arent really pumped on.
I guess theres still a few out there… https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
There is no way there are more bodyboarders than surfers. Bodyboarding was in a huge decline but I think it’s coming back just in the last year or so.. the reason pipe was streamed from the web cam is because nobody watches it so why would you spend on production knowing you probably won’t even break even?
Mike pays for pipe out of pocket which is why its the Mike Stewert Invitational and not the Science pipe challenge. Fronton, Shark Island, Itacoatiara, and tahiti all have full running webcasts.
Good catch, i get carried away. I have seen quite a bit of line ups packed to the gills with boogies in the caribbean though like 5 to one ratio. Brazil has a big and building boogie scene and Europe never really had a falling out with boogies there. Id love to see the number of mid to high end boogies that got sold last year vs the number of mid to highend surfboards. Considering were about 1/3 to 1/2 the price of a surfboard i think it numbers wise it might be higher
Finally some sense here. Not happy to say I called it, and I doubt I’m the only one that did.
Maybe they should throw in a few tow-in heats as well, like they did at the Red Bull event. It is not as “pure” as paddling but it translates better to broadcast. This would also reduce the distinct physical advantage that men have over women, and we could see some women actually making big waves, rather than the slaughter-fest that was the women’s Peahi comp.
Will they have the balls to run a reduced women’s schedule as well? Would be nice to get some viewer number comparisons between events and the men’s and women’s tours.
I’m sure having Maya Gabera drown on the live webcast will bring in “killer” ratings.
Its what the people want to see though. The average viewer wants carnage. Maybe not death but a ton of shit whipping and a few mental drainers where people get blown out = insane ratings
No one watches the BWWT to see the best technical progressive surfing. Most of that tour was just making big drops. Its why i cant stand watching mavs. Just a bunch of dudes paddling into the shoulder and going straightish so they dont die. How the hell do you even score that? Peahi, Puerto, and Nazare is pretty much the perfect big wave tour. Would be sick if they could score monster Teahupoo too for it
Why you can’t stand mavs or the bwwt is because you’re a fucking kook on a body board (key word being kook).
You’re on a surfer website criticising a faction of surfing you don’t understand or appreciate, proven by your comments up top.
Surfers reach their physical prime for small waves in their mid twenties. Eg flexibility, lightweight, ability, cardio.
But by mid twenties they still haven’t mentally matured. The combo of mental and physical prime is required for big wave surfing.
As for ‘has beens’, ask Damo Hobgood how he feels now. He’s had the most impactful year of his surfing career this past 12 months. All of it done in big waves, not on the small wave tour. He’s coming in to his mental prime and pushing the limits of his surfing now.
Carlos Burle just retired at fifty.
Go watch a replay of Cloudbreak 2012 and count how many waves were ridden that day by the 40 odd WCT guys who were there with every resource known to man at their fingertips.
And then run your mouth about big wave viewership.
It’s great you dove in here thumbs first, but you’ve got no fucking idea about big wave surfing because you’re probably boogie boarding a one foot shore break and never ventured out the back.
You must be new here…
I choose to bodyboard because its fun as shit, but if you want me to go grab my twinny or my thruster and surf a heat against you im cool with that
I can read numbers and statistics.
I produce a live broadcast for the WSL QS every year. I actually work with people from the WSL main office in real life, and they sure as fuck dont surf. Let alone even bodyboard.
I make the majority of my money through the surf industry. Prior to that i worked in television and film production.
I hate mavs because it churns massive fucking barrels and its still the most boring comeptition to watch ever.
The BWWT is epic, to compete in, but to watch is absolutely boring as fuck. If it wasnt boring as fuck it would have higher viewing rates than the CT. Indisputable fact. As it sits now its barely a step above the WSL longboard championship.
Also I dont want to blow you mind too much but a vast majority of your precious big wave spots were found and first surfed by boogies. I wont cite the list because anyone who actually pays attention to big wave surfing knows the big wave community owes a fuck ton to the sponge world
It doesnt even take mental ability it just takes balls to throw yourself over the edge and the strength to hold a bottom turn. Didnt john john wax every one at the Eddy? If i remember correctly didnt Makuakai Rothman also walk home with the first BWWT championship? Also pretty sure 24yo billy kemper shit on everyone at pumping Jaws last season as well. Seriously guy if you are going to come at me rough like that, you should at least have your facts straight first.
Don’t try to identify with body boarders, youre a kook on any craft.
To correct your false info- Jaws, mavs, cloudbreak, Waimea… None of which discovered by bodyboarders, bodyboarders discover slabs not big waves. No disrespect to bb’s, just fact.
Jon Jon is the man, but everyone knows RCJ really won the Eddie last year based on surfing. JJF got the bonus Hawaiian points, he didn’t wax anyone. And RCJ is around 50.
Big waves owe nothing to body boarders, and vice versa.
Jaws event 1 reportedly had higher viewers than WCT, and the Eddie also.
And the tow in slabs your love so much- they are the ones that don’t require skill as much as craziness. Any kook can grab a rope… Paddle in big waves takes all the skill and experience you can get.
So yeah, I disagree with your head up your ass ‘i make all my money from the wqs’ point of view.
Thats super cool you disagree,
Ill stand by my point of the BWWT being boring as fuck to watch though. Its exactly like NASCAR. Really fucking hard to do well, absolutely boring as fuck to watch unless some one is fighting to win or eats shit hard. If it wasnt that way it would have a higher standing than the CT. Makuakai won a bwwt world title in 2015 and how many Hawaiians gave a shit? Then JJF wins the CT and they lose their shit. “There hasnt been a Hawaiian champion in sooo long! Hoooray!” It was a big deal.
The BWWT is a sideshow and always will be.
Totally agree on which are the best waves.
The problem with the women is that there aren’t enough women who can surf Nazare at its biggest.
Watching Healy chuck himself left at Mavs is kinda cute because you know he’s coming back up.
I’ve seen Maya floating face down at Nazare once and I certainly don’t need to see that again.
Big waves are ridden by young men in oceans; big wave competitions are run by old men in offices.
Never the twain shall meet.
deleted myself**
Anybody ever think that Linden being a dick to Robbie isn’t about standing up for Mexico or Mexican locals, but standing up for surfers who don’t want a fcking motorbike in the lineup?