Pete Cabrinha - Surfing for $1,000/ft.

[OliverG]

PETE CABRINHA WINS THE BILLABONG XXL AWARDS WITH A 70 FOOT WAVE, The Veteran Maui Surfer Earns $70,000 for his World Record Ride

ANAHEIM, CA -- (April 16, 2004) -- The world record for biggest wave ever ridden was officially shattered this evening at the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards presented by Monster Energy when Pete Cabrinha of Hawaii picked up a check for $70,000 to match his amazing ride on a 70-footer.

Cabrinha, 43, rode the wave on January 10 of this year at the break known as Jaws on the North Shore of Maui, near his home in Haiku.

Before an overflow crowd of 1500 at the gala awards presentation at the Grove Theater in Anaheim, CA, Cabrinha's victory was announced to a standing ovation.

Cabrinha was one of the original pioneers of the Jaws break (also known as Peahi) and is a world-renown master of big wave tow surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing.

"It was the first time I surfed Jaws this winter and it was on a brand-new board, so I asked my partner Rush [Randle] to tow me into a little warm-up wave," Cabrinha recounted of the epic day of surf.

"But when we took the jet ski outside of the break this set came in and we basically claimed it as ours. Most people go right at Jaws, but on this day some of the lefts looked bigger and cleaner so that's the way I went.

The board ended up working pretty well and when I kicked out, Rush looked at me and went, "Holy crap, Pete...that was a bomb!'"

Cabrinha beat out three other Jaws waves ridden by Brazilian Danilo Couto and Hawaiians Archie Kalepa and Ian Walsh, along with a wave ridden by California's Greg Long at the Cortes Bank, 100 miles off San Diego. Maui photographer Erik Aeder won $5000 for his "definitive image" of Cabrinha's giant wave.
The previous Guinness World Record holder for biggest wave ever ridden was Brazilian Carlos Burle, whose 68-footer at Maverick's won the XXL Award in 2002.

The Monster Tube of the Year Award and its $5000 bounty went to Malik Joyeaux of French Polynesia for an amazing, death-defying barrell at Teahupo'o, Tahiti, last April. Photographer Sean Davey received $1000.

Also receiving honors this evening was Zach Wormhoudt for the Monster Biggest Paddle-In Award. Wormhoudt, of Santa Cruz, CA, caught his wave at Maverick's in Northern California on December 17 of last year. The winning image was by Frank Quirarte.

California's Greg Long was the first surfer ever nominated in both the XXL and Paddle-In categories, and although he did not win in either, the versatility of that feat earned him the Surfline/Jay Moriarity Best Overall Performance Award.

The 20-year-old San Clemente surfer received a check for $5000 presented by Kim Moriarity to commemorate his achievement. The Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards are presented by Monster Energy Drinks. Surfline.com is the official surf forecast of the XXL.

For additional details from the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards, please see additional areas of the event website at www.BillabongXXL.com