Riders on the Storm : Surf Competition Capitalizes on, and Survives, El Nino Winter

It was an idea based on the notion that El Nino would whip up some of the largest and wildest waves since, well, the last big El Nino of 1982-83.

And did that notion ever prove correct: The notorious weather phenomenon dished up a series of mammoth swells that slammed first into Hawaii and then the West Coast with all the fury that only a surfer could appreciate, making this past winter one of the most exciting big-wave seasons ever.

Throw in a $50,000 prize offered the surfer who successfully rode the biggest wave, and it was also one the most highly publicized seasons on record.

“I had no idea that this would generate so much attention,” said Bill Sharp, who dreamed up the much-ballyhooed and somewhat controversial K2 Big Wave Challenge last fall while watching a late-night news anchor carry on about the impending El Nino.

Though some might disagree, it was a stroke of genius on Sharp’s part.

As part of their storm coverage, television crews and reporters throughout California, and across the country for that matter, touched on the enormous waves being ridden at such explosive breaks as Mavericks near Half Moon Bay, Waimea Bay on Oahu’s North Shore and Todos Santos Island off Ensenada.

And they could not ignore the substantial purse being offered by a ski and snowboard company trying to launch itself into the surf-wear industry.

Not all of the publicity given the K2 Big Wave Challenge was good. Many in the surfing community blasted K2 for opening it to just anyone, for putting people in the lineup who had no business being there, for tempting even experienced big-wave riders to paddle into potentially deadly waves they might otherwise pass up.

But it was publicity nonetheless, and lots of it. And while Sharp, president of Katin USA, a surf apparel company owned by K2, might have been holding his breath at times, he is smiling now.

The contest, which played itself out more dramatically than he could have dreamed as each new swell seemed to produce bigger waves, ended two weeks ago.

And nobody died.

Sharp, as contest director, points out that this was the first time in three winters that a big-wave surfer has not died. That the contest, if anything, because of the interest it generated, seemed to bring about a greater awareness of the awesome power of the ocean.

Especially during El Nino.

And having said all this on a rainy Tuesday night at the awards ceremony at the Hard Rock Cafe in Newport Beach, it was time to get down to the business of paying tribute--in the form of an oversized check for $50,000--to the man of the hour.

That would be Taylor Knox, 26, a pro surfer from Carlsbad, who edged Peter Mel, 28, a Santa Cruz resident. Mel dominated the towering breakers at Mavericks like no other, but his biggest wave, measuring a mind-boggling 48 feet from peak to trough, was not quite as big as the one ridden by Knox during the Reef Brazil contest in mid-February at Todos Santos Island.

“As soon as I stood up, I went, ‘Whoa, this is going to be like the biggest mountain of water I’ve ever ridden,’ ” Knox recalled. “Luckily, I saw a little bump [developing on the face] and I was able to read that part of it and get low. I think that’s what saved me; just being able to read the wave right. Otherwise I might have taken a really bad fall again.”

Reef contest judges gave Knox a perfect 10, but because he had wiped out on the previous wave--”I was doing cartwheels down the face inside the barrel”--he didn’t even win his heat.

“I sat in the channel the rest of the day and was just a cheerleader,” he said. “And the whole day it was like, better than being in any amusement park I’ve ever been to. It was just the best thing I had ever seen. For me, it was the ride of my life, and I didn’t even know it was going to end up being the winning wave.”

A panel of five judges for the K2 contest, after narrowing the photographic entries to 10, said they studied and discussed each one extensively before deciding that the face of Knox’s wave topped out at 52 feet.

Mel was gracious enough in defeat, saying, “I think I rode bigger waves [than Knox] all winter, but that one wave of his was just so dramatic.”

Sharp explained that while this was supposed to be a winner-take-all event, Mel indeed deserved something for dominating the lineup wherever he went.

“Out of 10 rides we looked at, half of them belonged to one surfer,” said Sharp, alluding to Mel before the announcement of Knox as the winner. “We had to rethink the award. There was one surfer who did ride the single biggest wave. But there was another who was easily the single most dominant surfer of the entire winter.

“He caught nearly every big wave that there was at Mavericks. He caught big waves at Waimea Bay in Hawaii . . . There was no second place in this event, but we didn’t feel this would be right. It would be immoral based on the incredible performance Peter Mel put in this winter.”

High praise indeed. Too bad for Mel he was in the restroom and didn’t hear it. He did, however, eventually make it to the podium, where he was given $5,000, after which he informed the crowd that he would have been riding the waves, contest or no contest, but that he appreciates the support.

“I really love doing this stuff, so I’m going to keep doing it,” he said.

Next up was Les Walker, to collect his $5,000 for taking the photograph of Knox’s winning wave. It was no simple feat. With a dozen or so other photographers shooting from vessels on the water, Walker decided the best place to shoot from would be the island.

“He took his 600-millimeter lens, his tripod and his gear, got dropped off in 10-foot shore break, had to swim in with all his gear, went out there and got the shot,” Sharp said. “To Mr. Walker we give $5,000 for holding down that motor drive for a couple of seconds . . . Easy money.”

There was one other award, a small trophy featuring the front end of three surfboards protruding from a base made to look like the impact zone of a big-wave break.

“The winner of the heaviest wipeout, by unanimous decision, is Neil Matthies for his three-wave hold-down at Mavericks,” Sharp said. “To Neil we are glad to give the triple tombstone award.”

The video footage of the Santa Cruz surfer’s wipeout, on a 30-foot-plus wave at Mavericks, provided more drama than Knox’s epic ride at Todos Santos Island.

After Matthies’ initial wipeout, all that could be seen in the swirling foam was the front end of his board, pointing to the sky, bobbing in such a way that everyone could tell that its leash was being stretched by Matthies about 10 feet under.

Then another huge wave broke, and again, only the front end of the board emerged. Matthies had still not come up for air.

Then a third wave broke, and when things finally settled, the board popped up and flattened out, followed by Matthies, gasping for breath but otherwise OK.

Accepting the trophy, Matthies told his fellow surfers, “Thank you everybody for cheering me on and watching me eat it. You know, I think really hard about what went on out there. I think it was pretty amazing to me that I made it out of that situation.

“What’s more amazing, though, is all of the people here tonight who have made it out of that situation more than once. And, honest to God, I keep praying that I can do it again.”

To that Sharp asked for a moment of silence for Mark Foo, who drowned after a wipeout at Mavericks in 1994; for Donnie Solomon who drowned at Waimea Bay two years ago, and for Todd Chesser, who was killed at Waimea last year.

Asked later if he would stage the big-wave challenge again next year, Sharp hedged for a moment, then said next year might be a bit soon.

“But maybe we’ll do it again when the next El Nino rolls around,” he said.

HOT BITES

* It has been an exciting week for saltwater fishermen, especially those out Tuesday morning as the storm was approaching. Not only were anglers clutching doubled-over rods with yellowtail on the line, they were watching funnel clouds sweep atop a glassy sea. “An ocean exploding with yellowtail and funnel clouds--classic El Nino fishing,” said Philip Friedman of Torrance, one of nine fishermen who combined to haul up 29 yellowtail at the Horseshoe Kelp on the Southern Cal out of Long Beach Sportfishing.

* The halibut bite is also on and, weather permitting, this weekend’s Marina del Rey Halibut Derby ought to be an eventful affair. About 500 people are expected to compete for the grand prize--a trip to Baja. Anglers can register through today from 3-9 p.m. at the Boy Scout headquarters at Burton Chace Park. Cost is $40. Details: (310) 443-4855.