Chilean Reinaldo “Chacha” Ibarra won the award for the biggest paddle-out wave this year at the Big Wave Awards held yesterday in Nazaré, Portugal.

Ibarra was awarded for a giant wave surfed during the Punta de Lobos 2022 Ceremony that took place in a sea that for locals was the largest in the last 10 years; it was on August 15, 2022.

On that occasion he surfed the biggest wave of the day and won the award for the wave of the championship.

Visibly moved, Ibarra said in a post on his Instagram, surrounded by his friends: “Thank you, this award is for all of Chile, with great emotion and happiness,” he said.

The women's award in the same category went to Laura Enever of Australia for a bombshell surfing performance on the North Shore of Oahu.

The award comes 17 years after another Pichilemu resident, Diego Medina, won the same prize for the largest stand-up paddle wave.

 

The other winners were:

BIG WAVE SURFER OF THE YEAR:
MAN - Nathan Florence (Hawaii)
WOMAN - Justine Dupont (France)

THE WAVE OF THE YEAR
MAN - Nathan Florence at Mullaghmore Head, Ireland. Video by João Tudella
WOMAN - Justine Dupont at Cortes Bank. Video by Johnny Decesare & Tucker Wooding

The biggest wave
MEN - (TIE) Nic Von Rupp at Nazaré & Shaun Walsh at Jaws
WOMEN - Justine Dupont at Cortes Bank

HIT OF THE YEAR
Danny Griffiths at Shipstern Bluff. Video by Talon Clemow

YOUNG REVELATION
Ned Hart (Australia)

CONTRIBUTION TO SPORT
To the founder of the big wave tour Gary Linden
Mayor of Nazaré Walter Chicharro.

 

See this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Chacha Ibarra (@chachaibarrasurf)