ONE’S A CHARM - R105 000 cash and a R120 000 Yamaha Waverunner - Oakley One Wave Wonder raises the stakes (and then some) for 2012

Dust off your camcorders. Get your shred stick, tube sled or big wave gun out the closet. The second instalment of the Oakley One Wave Wonder powered by Zigzag is a GO, and as promised, we’re going bigger, better, deeper and higher for 2012.

The plan is the same: we’re looking to reward one single ride each month from February 2012 to the end of June 2012 that simply blows everybody away. Tubes, airs, carves, tow-ats, massive waves, or a combo of any of these. It all counts and anyone can enter, as long as you’re a South African surfer and the ride is documented during the event timeframe. The five finalists will then go up against each other to determine the single best Ride of the Season. And it only gets better.

Oakley are bumping the prize money up to a tasty R15 000 cash each month for the monthly winner, split between the surfer (R9 000) and the person who documents it (R6 000). The surfer who wins Ride of the Season bags a further R30 000 cash money, and the amazing prize of a Yamaha VX1100 Waverunner, valued at R120 000.

As Greg Emslie of Oakley says, “Having a Waverunner included in the first prize has upped the stakes hugely. It’s every surfer’s dream to own one, and no doubt  there will be some fierce competition for a prize like this.”

The person who documents the Ride of the Season hardly goes away empty handed either, and nets themselves an all-expenses paid trip for two to Indonesia, made possible by All Aboard Surf Travel. 

Last year Twiggy Baker narrowly pipped Jordy Smith and Shaun Joubert for the win. But this year it’s a clean slate and it could be any of you, driving off into the sunset on your Waverunner with 30k cash in your pocket.

As the 2011 event showed quite clearly, a darkhorse can easily beat all the names. Deen Hill won the first round this year for catching the right wave at The Hoek, Justin Donnelly got a sick tube ride at Supers to be right there in the mix, and a host of other lesser known surfers were amping, charging, pulling in, and going for broke. With Hawaii in full cry, the cyclone season about to hit the east coast and the usual bevy of amazing surf coming our way, it’s anybody’s game. Counting rides start 1 Januray 2012.

Visit www.1wavewonder.co.za for more info.


Gavin Roberts get barrelled three times on one wave at his favourite South Coast spot during this year's Oakley One Wave Wonder.


An entry submitted by Carmen Vicari of Jordy going bananas. Unfortunately this entry was not deemed eligible for that month as it was shot outside of the contest period.