BIG WAVE AWARDS 2010/11 BIGGEST WAVE NOMINEE JEFF ROWLEY

Deep South, Victoria. Video credit: Anonymous

FINALISTS

BIGGEST WAVE

Jeff Rowley - Deep South, Victoria. Video credit: Anonymous

Mark Visser - Cow Bombie, WA. Video credit: Rick Jakovich

Chris Ross - The Right, WA. Video credit: Ben Rufus

Shaun Wallbank - Southport, TAS. Image credit: Andrew Chisholm

Benn Richardson - Southport, TAS. Image credit: Andrew Chisolm

Mark Mathews - The Right, WA. Image credit: Calum Macauley

Dan Corbett Cow Bombie, TAS Image credit: Jamie Scott

After a hectic season of charging and a weeklong wait at the hands of the judging panel, the finalists in Surfing Life's Oakley Big Wave Awards will find out at 9pm tomorrow night whether they walk away victorious with a share of the $35,000 prize pool.

Biggest Wave, Biggest Slab, and Biggest Paddle-In categories have been decided upon and the countdown to Thursday's gala presentation evening at the Bondi Openair Pavilion has begun.

With 300 strong crowd, including a who's who of the surf and media industry, and a grand total of $35,000 up for grabs across the three categories, finalists would be forgiven for feeling a little nervous.

Huge, crazy rides have been thrown into the mix from renowned big-wave stars, pitched up against colossal waves charged by unknown country kids, lifeguards from Tasmania, veteran Western Australian watermen, and one of the nation's top junior pro surfers.

The Awards, now in their ninth year, have come to highlight a side of surfing that's way beyond both the recreational mainstream and the professional competitive arena -- a zone where seemingly normal people take seemingly outlandish risks, and achieve huge things with seemingly little concern for fame or renown -- Surfing Life and Oakley reward their spectacular achievements.

A comprehensive press release and wrap of the awards outcome, along with high resolution images and video of the winning rides will be available shortly after the event's conclusion.

Stay tuned to www.surfinglife.com.au for up-to-date news, post-event images and video.