Rudi Schwartz

Age: 23

Home Break: Shipstern Bluff, TAS

Target location for BWA rides: Shippies and Pedra Branca

Best moment so far this year: Mavericks/Hawaii trip early in the year with my younger brother Andy. And the huge May swell at Shipstern with the local crew- such a good vibe, everyone wanted the blackest lump of water it was fun

Hero/es: My family, Jamie Mitchell, Mark Healy and the people in the world who actually live their dreams

Villain/s: The bottle

Tow Buddy: James McKean

Best Board: Murray Bourton 9’8 quad. I haven’t even ridden it yet but it looks delightful

www.holicclothing.com.au

Ryan Hipwood

Age: 26

Home Break: Gold Coast, QLD

Target location for BWA rides: The Right, WA

Best moment so far this year: The wave of my life - Fiji

Hero/es: John Daly, Shane Dorian, Andy Irons and my old man

Villain/s: None

Best Board: At the moment it's my 6'10" paddle machine. It's the same board I got the wave of my life on...

www.ryanhipwood.com

Kirk Bierke

Age: 51

Home Break: Lived too many places to have a "home" town, Ulladulla for the last 6 years

Target location for BWA rides: Anywhere I'm lucky enough to find a bomb

Best moment so far this year: Around mid August, when I realized I hadn't ridden my 5'6"beach break slop board in months.

Hero/es: Everyone charging (past and present) solid waves all across the globe, Gary Linden for his part in orchestrating the international big wave paddle tour, Surfing Life and Oakley for putting on this event.

Villain/s: Bluebottles

Best Board: Can't pick one, 10' 4" quad, 9'8" tri, 8'6" quad, 9'1" single, all good.

John 'Bones' Dwyer

Age: 30

Home Break: Bronte

Target location for BWA rides: Ours, Shippies, WA

Best moment so far this year: Tassie trip in May. We scored big, perfect Shipsterns

Hero/es: Ross Clarke-Jones

Villain/s: Muammar Gaddafi

Tow Buddy: Kobi Graham

Best Board: My Green Beast tow board - It's cursed though for anyone other than me. Kobi Graham broke his neck on it and my other good mate Luke Smith smashed his face up on the rocks at Ours while riding it.

James Hick

Age: 27

Home break: Secrets, Jersey, UK

Target location for BWA rides: Tasmania, South Oz

Best moment so far this year: Big south swell in Tassie, Jan 20th in Hawaii

Hero/es: Shane Dorian, Mark Healey, Zana, G Unit and the Tassie crew

Villain/s: None

Tow Buddy: Danny, Marti, the Tassie lads

Best Board: Nutz towboard, Bushman 10' and Kirk Bierke 9'8 quad.

Marti Paradisis

Age: 28

Home Break: Clifton Beach/Shipsterns

Target location for BWA rides: Lumpies Reef

Best moment so far this year: Getting to use my 9 footer down home

Hero/es: Dad, he's been through hell and back but is the happiest guy alive

Villain/s: The dickheads around the world who have power but dont realise how quickly there fucking up our planet. Money and greed makes people lose track of what really matters.

Tow Buddy: Whoever's keen when the swell is pulsing.... usually Mike Brennan

Best Board: Hayden Shapes 5'11 Shred Sled (shaped for paddling waves up around 4 -10ft)

Mark Visser

Age: 28

Home Break: Kawana, QLD

Target location for BWA rides: Anywhere big!

Best moment so far this year: Surfing Big waves at night!

Hero/es: Michael Jordan

Villain/s: N/A

Tow Buddy: Kevin Visser, Jamie sterling, ''the crazy German," and a few other guys, it really depends on location

Best Board: My 9'2 fighting roo and 5'10 tow board

Tyler Hollmer Cross

Age: 24

Home Break: Park Beach (TAS)

Target location for BWA rides: Shipsterns and Pedra Branca

Best moment so far this year: Shipsterns, biggest ever surfed! I got the biggest barrel of my life and heaviest wipeouts - with just the core Tassie chargers out.

Hero/es: Shane Dorian, Mark Healey, Mark Mathews and all the Tassie boys.

Villain/s: No one inparticular but anyone putting bad vibes out in the water.

Tow Buddy: My brother James Hollmer-Cross

Best Board: 6'10 x 18 3/4 x 2 1/2 - Mad Shippies paddle board!

Danny Griffiths

Age: 26

Home break: Carlton Rivermouth

Target location for BWA rides: Mainly tassie cause its cheaper, but anywhere if I get the chance!

Best moment so far this year: Stern with only a few local guys. It was pumping the day after the Storm Surfers were down. At the end of the day as the sun was going down we were totally surfed out watching Stern do it's amazing thing. Perfict 12ft sets, no one around, all to ourselves.

Hero/es: AI, and all my mates that got me started with this addiction.

Villain/s: My old football coach

Tow Buddy: Always different but mostly Mikey Brennan

Best Board: My new tow board Brooka Chooka Chenny (Brook Phillips) made me.

Sandy Ryan

Age: 28

Home Break: Express Point

Target location for BWA rides: I ain’t fussy!

Best moment so far this year: Big day at Stern

Hero/es: Shane Dorian, Manoa Drollet, Kelly Slater, Marti Paradisis and the Tassie Boys

Villain/s: Barnacles

Tow Buddy: Marti Paradisis

Best Board: Island 6’7’’ Glyndyn Ringrose & Island 6’5” Greg Hogan

Jeff Rowley

Age: 32

Home break: Bells Beach is where I call home but whenever it's good Im always found somewhere else looking for a new challenging wave.

Target location for BWA rides: I always keep my options open. This year I’ve been to Hawaii, Tahiti and Fiji but they don't count for the BWA. I've been to West Oz and Vic recently. I’m ready to go wherever the next swell.

Best moment so far this year: At Cloudbreak in Fiji I took a monster set that nobody wanted and had the wipeout of my life. I was lucky to be alive. After a quick rest, I went straight back out looking for a bigger one. A monster set came through, and I gave it another shot. I made the airdrop, bottom turned up into the wave and rode it out. When I kicked out I knew I’d just made one of the best rides of my life.

Hero/es: Anyone living fearlessly.

Villain/s: Anyone holding someone else back.

Tow Buddy: Jason Polakow - he's crazy and we push each other.

Best Board: My 9'6" quad fin Bourton gun performs better at 15 foot than a shortboard in 3 foot waves. I put my life on the line, it always gets me back to safety.

www.jeffrowley.com

Image: Minnie Vuong

James McKean

Age: 24

Home break: Marion Bay

Target location for BWA rides: Shipsterns, Pedra Branca, Tassie's east and west

Best moment so far this year: Last month (July) did a little trip up the east coast of Tas, looked like a solid E ground swell but the wind forecasts were a bit funky. We ended up staying up the coast for a couple of nights and scored two amazing sessions at a basically dry right hand slab. Sunny day, blue water,10ft empty pits and good friends. Surf wise being a part of the session at Stern on 17th May was an incredible experience, seeing the ocean and waves do the things they were doing and having the opportunity to ride them that day was amazing.

Hero/es: My dog, Sox. She's gone but she was good.

Villain/s: Stuart Gibson

Tow Buddy: Rudi Schwartz or any of the lads

Best Board: My tow board, bought it second hand for $150, 5'10 Bourton, dinged up and looks rank, but its perfect!

Justen Allport

Age: 37

Home Break: North Shelly

Target location for BWA rides: Anywhere

Best moment so far this year: The July East Coast swells

Hero/es: Shane Dorian, Healy, Grigson, Riley Laing, Clarke McClymont, RCJ, Wwestside SC crew

Villain/s: Morgs, BB

Tow Buddy: Will Anido, Brett Jones

Best Board My 8'4 Wizstix, wish it had another foot on it though.

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