Greg long declared the champion of big wave surfing

Translation: Heido Sundstrom

With an almost 1,000 point-lead against his closest rival, Greg Long was crowned World Champion in the fourth season of Big Wave World Tour. The Tour began with the Billabong Pico Alto in Punta Hermosa, Peru, where he surfed 30-foot waves and suffered setbacks by Ken Collins and Rafael Velarde. Greg Long and Carlos Burle competed against each other in the final, the latter winning that stop on the tour.

The second stop was at Mavericks, California, and although the wave didn’t appear as large as it had been in previous years, the event was given the green light. Peter Mel was the champion of that event, while Zach Wormhoudt took second, and Greg Long placed third.

At the third stop—the Nelscott Reef Big Wave Classic in Lincoln City, Oregon, there were also 30 feet waves and it was Hawaiian Jamie Sterling who took the victory, leaving Greg Long in second place. The first stop that was scheduled was the Quiksilver Ceremonial at Punta de Lobos, Chile and the last stop of the tour was on the island of Todos Santos, Mexico, though it wasn’t conducted due to lack of good sized waves.

Greg Long suffered a drowning incident at the end of 2012 and had to be hospitalized.  Long is the star of his first documentary: THE INERTIA, SINE QUA NON: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF BIG WAVE SURFING WITH GREG LONG, where he documented some of the most impressive waves at Jaws this past Fall.

FINAL STANDINGS BWWT 2012/2013

1. Greg Long (USA) - 2155.5
2. Jamie Sterling (HAW) - 1160.7
3. Carlos Burle (BRA) - 1150
4. Peter Mel (USA) - 1148.7
5. Ken Collins (USA) - 826.5
6. Gabriel Villaran (PERU) - 823
7. Zach Wormhoudt (USA) - 688.5
8. Ben Wilkinson (AUS) - 674.25
9. Jose Gomez (PERU) - 621
10. Joao De Macedo (PT) - 555
11. Ramon Navarro (CL) - 517.5
12. Jeff Rowley (AUS) - 494.75