Jamie Mitchell, Burleigh Heads Queensland, Australia Big Wave Tour ranking: Fifth

This Billabong Ride Of the Year nominee takes home the Surfline Performance Of The Year Award, and he well deserves the win. Jamie Mitchell is a competitive animal with a history of winning 10 consecutive races in the Molokai to Oahu paddle board race – considered the world championship of paddle boarding. It requires paddlers to cross one of the roughest stretches of water in the world — the 32-mile wide Ka’iwi Channel. He’s also an animal in a different way when it gets big and his performance at Nazaré was unparalleled.

“My season was definitely an up and down year,” reckoned Jamie in hindsight. “I had a great start to the Puerto Escondido Challenge, and then faulted in the Semis. Contest surfing is pretty new to me so I feel like I have made lots of mistakes but I’m excited to get better and learn more! I then proceeded to have a terrible contest at the Pe’ahi Challenge and was very disappointed. I decided to chase a swell to Spain after this, and they called the Nazare Challenge on, which was awesome. I had a great contest and was stoked I put everything together.”

Jamie is admittedly excited to be a part of the Big Wave Tour at this stage of big wave surfing.

“There is some amazing young talent mixed with some veterans still winning events and World Titles at the moment,” said Jamie. “The free surfing is getting pushed to new levels constantly each year!”

As mentioned, Jamie knows what it takes to win, and is determined to continue what he did so effectively in the Molokai Challenge.

“Oh yes, I want to win a World Title and continue to chase the biggest swells around the globe,” reckons Mitchell. “I also want to help to make the sport more visible, and go to the next level where we all think it should be at.”