Big Waves Coming Soon to the Big Screen

San Clemente surfer Mike Parsons likes the challenge of riding big waves. He’s a regular at Todos Santos Island off Ensenada and Mavericks near Half Moon Bay in Northern California, the spots that produce some of the biggest waves in North America.

And while he didn’t win the recent Big Wave Challenge--a contest which paid $50,000 to the surfer who had a picture taken of him riding the biggest wave of last winter--Parsons said the contest provided surfing with a much-needed shot in the arm.

“I think the sport can definitely use more events like that,” Parsons said last week during the Op Pro in Huntington Beach. “There’s something about a big wave that can appeal to all people, surfer and non-surfer alike. It’s very simple and not hard to follow. You catch a big wave and you try to ride it and not fall off your board. No tricks. No fancy maneuvers. It’s a ride for survival.”

Taylor Knox, 26, of Carlsbad isn’t particularly known for big-wave riding, he won the recent contest on a 50-foot wave at Todos Santos.

Parsons says big-wave riding is a spectacular sight that would be perfect as an IMAX movie, in which images are projected on screens up to 80 feet high.

“I just saw ‘Everest’ at the IMAX. It was incredible. It actually felt like I was there,” Parsons said. “So I started to think what it would be like if they could capture the big-wave experience.”

Parsons won’t have to wait long.

Scheduled for release in February is “Extreme,” the first IMAX movie to feature extreme sports. It is being directed by veteran filmmaker Jon Long and produced by Neils de Jong Franken.

Legendary surfers such as Tom Carroll and Ross Clarke-Jones will be shown riding giant waves in Hawaii. Other sports and locales featured in the film will be ice climbing in British Columbia, snowboarding and skiing in Alaska, rock climbing in southern Utah and base-jumping in Norway.

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Bill Hagan, director of community services for Huntington Beach, is elated with the outcome of last week’s Op Pro and the U.S. Open of Surfing, which took place a week earlier.

“The U.S. Open and the Op Pro really helps us solidify our image of being Surf City,” Hagan said. “We estimated there were 250,000 who came for the U.S. Open and a half-million for the Op Pro.”

Hagan estimated area businesses experienced a 25%-30% increase during the two weeks of surfing. He also said very few arrests were made, despite the large crowds.

“Both events attracted people across the board,” Hagan said. “It wasn’t just one group of people. We had families, older folks and young people, which I think contributed to the peaceful crowds.”

Hagan said the city has signed a five-year contract with Op to host the event, which had been in Hawaii the past two years.

The surfers also approved of the return to Huntington Beach.

“This is where it belongs,” said Sunny Garcia of Hawaii. “I grew up with it in Huntington Beach. It’s where all the industry is and it is one of the few contests we have that allows the fans to get close to the surfers.”

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Despite Andy Irons’ victory Sunday in the Op Pro finals and Michael Campbell’s runner-up finish, the top two individual rankings for the World Championship Tour remained unchanged: Australian Danny Wills is No. 1, followed by San Clemente’s Shane Beschen.

“Actually, I love it when it’s like this,” Wills said. “It’s much better for the sport when the world title isn’t determined halfway through the season.”

Florida’s Kelly Slater, ranked No. 3, locked up titles three-quarters of the way through each of the past two seasons.

Irons jumped from 28th to 23rd in the rankings. Campbell, who was ranked fifth, moved to fourth.

A first-place finish in a world tour event is worth 1,000 points; second place 860; reaching the semifinals means 730 points, the quarterfinals 610 and the fourth round 500. Wills has 5,150 points and Beschen 4,702.

There are four events left on the 1998 tour: the Rip Curl Pro in Hossegor, France, Aug. 19-24; the Kana Beach Lacanau Pro in Lacanau, France, Aug. 26-31; the Kaiser Summer Surf at Barra Beach in Rio de Janiero, Oct. 14-18, and the Chiemsee Gerry Lopez Pipe Masters at Pipeline in Oahu, Dec. 8-20.

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The Katin Team Challenge stages its 19th annual event Aug. 12-16 just south of the pier in Huntington Beach.

Surfers compete as individuals during the contest’s first three days, accumulating points for their four-man teams. The top 16 teams qualify for the tag-team competition.