He was introduced to NY surfers in Times Square, projected larger than life during the screening of the NBC sports special covering the Mavericks contest. Dropping down monster waves, scoring ten point rides and surviving one of the biggest wipeouts of the day, he was the ultimate gladiator in one of the heaviest arenas in surfing.

In reality he is a humble underdog from the back of the pack, who gained entry into the hallowed ground of The 2006 Mavericks Surf Contest® at the last moment. He had barely surfed Mavericks before. He rode a borrowed board. He was up against big wave legends from Hawaii, Brazil and California and burly locals from Santa Cruz. The skinny "Twiggy" was not expected to rattle the establishment.

That was until he started riding the place.

His pedigree as part of a long line of South African big wave surfers stood him in good stead. From Gavin Rudolf and Johnny Paarman lighting up Sunset Beach in the 70’s, to the rastas Cass Collier and Ian Armstrong winning the world big wave contest at Todos Santos in 1999, to wildman Chris Bertish being the first person to paddle in to Jaws, saffas have been charging for years.

Already part of the furniture at Dungeons, the Twig was amped at the chance of doing battle at Mavericks, and under the watchful eye and expert guidance of good friend Grant Washburn he was transformed into a contender.

He might have become a megastar overnight with the win but this saffa bru is just taking it all in his stride. In this Newyorksurf.com interview, Grant Baker offers up his humble approach to being recognized as one of the gutsiest surfers on the planet, his take on the upcoming contest at Dungeons, and his future plans.

Grant Myrdal: I know it was a big deal just to get the invite into the contest at Mavericks. When you spent those two months living with Grant Washburn in San Fransisco, preparing for the event, did you ever once imagine that you could do well?

Twiggy: No!! When I first got there I was just stoked to have been invited so I wanted to at least make it through one heat to justify my inclusion. But we surfed Mav’s a lot in that first month – it broke 17 times! I got to know the place pretty well and felt more and more confident. After another month, by the time the contest came, I felt really good and knew if I put my head down and went hard I could do well.

GM: What kind of tips did Grant Washburn give you that you think helped on the day of the contest?

Twiggy: So many things. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have won the contest. He knows the wave like the back of his hand and he showed me everything. It's super intimidating, you know? Just jumping off the rocks there is so heavy. He showed me where to paddle out, how to get out through the mid section. He showed me lineups, all the stuff you need at a big wave spot. So when the contest started I was just feeling comfortable with everything. And the day of the contest the waves were so perfect it seemed easy.

GM: You took out that much shorter board and it seemed you rode the wave differently than everyone else. You got in earlier, cranking your bottom turn two thirds down the wave and even doing huge carves where other guys were just going straight. How did you figure out you could do that out there?

Twiggy: I dunno really. Surfing Dungeons helps because it forces you to turn in big waves. The wave is much longer and unpredictable, so even though it's 20 ft you have to run with the wave and negotiate sections and do turns. So I was used to that already. But a big factor was that Grant turned me onto riding smaller boards for Mav's. He hooked me up with Randy Cone, the guy who shaped the winning board, a 9’0". I knew if I rode a shorter board I could do better. You have to paddle harder and sit deeper in the bowl, but when you’re riding you have more control and manoueverablity. Even practicing on the smaller days at Mav's, like 12 to 15 feet, I was riding a 7’8" just to see how deep you can get and still make the drop.

GM: You told Jarvie in the ZigZag interview* that you "are the worst contest surfer ever", yet you won this hands down - 2 ten point rides and the four highest scores of the final! Something went right.

Twiggy: Ja, I dunno (laughs) I just got the right waves you know? It was my day. In big wave events the ocean chooses one person for the day and nothing can go wrong for them. It was also bizzare how relaxed I was. I’m never relaxed even freesurfing in big waves, always a little nervous you know? That day I had an amazing calm feeling all day, from first thing in the morning. I felt totally relaxed and my heart rate didn’t increase all day.

GM: That's wild because I remember a clip from the aerial footage of the final where they zoom in on you sitting out the back waiting and you look incredibly calm. There’s helicopters and giant waves and boats everywhere but you are just staring ahead like there is no-one else there.

Twiggy: Ja, that's true. It was weird. I was strangely calm.

GM: Was there a point in the final where you started thinking that you might be on the way to a win?

Twiggy: After my first really good wave I thought I had a chance. Then I got a decent backup wave. It turned out my best two waves were in the first ten minutes, but I didn’t know it at the time. Guys are getting good waves all the time so you really don’t know who’s winning. I just thought I was doing ok but I needed a bigger wave. So I paddled out deep and waited. I waited for half an hour and I got one of the bigger ones, but that was the one I wiped out on! It was good -Mavericks had the last word you know? That was the last wave I had there, so it will be good to go back next year and start again.

GM: When they told you of the win on the beach it seemed like you didn’t believe the announcer.

Twiggy: I had no idea. When you're out there you don’t really know who’s doing well or not. It's all survival, you know? Just surf your best and see what happens. Ja, I was surprised and so stoked when he told me.

GM: Lets turn to Dungeons. The 3 month waiting period for the contest is on right now. Are you training in Cape Town?

Twiggy: I’ve just arrived in Cape Town and we’ll be surfing Dungeons tomorrow on a medium swell. I’m going to try and stay for the rest of June because this is normally the most active month. We should see some big swells.

GM: Are you riding the board you won mav’s on?

Twiggy: No, I left it in California. It’s a little thin and narrow and we need them a bit thicker for Dungeons. Randy shaped me a new 9’2" that I will be using here, as well as boards shaped by Baron Stander.

GM: Describe for the readers the playing field out at Dungeons.

Twiggy: Well its totally diferent than Mavericks. At Mav's the energy is all focussed into one peak so the actual wave is heavier, but the takeoff spot is the same. At Dungeons the waves get just as big but the takeoff zone is as wide as a football field. The whole zone is stretched out across three large bowls. It’s more like a huge beachbreak -actually a bit like Ocean Beach in San Fransisco. And at Dungeons no matter where you are you are never really safe. Paddling out after a wave, or even waiting for one, a wave could come out of any direction and drill you.

GM: You are obviously a favorite, but are there any other surfers that you could finger as potential winners out there?

Twiggy: No, I would say its more up in the air than at Mav's. Anyone of the Cape Town guys could win because they are used to the conditions and the cold water. Guys like Mickey Duffus and Andy Marr, on the right day they could easily win. Jason Ribbink is always solid. And then there are the mad guys Johnnie Whittle and Chris Bertish. They’ll take off on anything, so you never know. Then there are the Internationals – Carlos Burle knows the wave and surfs it well. Also, the younger guys like Anthony Tashnick and Greg Long – they are so strong, and fit and focussed. Right now Greg has to be the best big wave surfer in the world.

GM: I know you have worked for Billabong as a rep for a while. Now that you have a decent sponsorship with them are you going to just surf huge waves and get paid for it?

Twiggy: Not really. I plan to keep my job. They are really cool and give me time off whenever I need it, and I’ve done that for 15 yrs now, so I enjoy it. I will go to Mav's for the season, and maybe surf some other places, but for now just surf the winter at home. I prefer to spend May in Durban and surf the south coast which has been firing. Then June in Cape Town as it’s the month with the most large swells, so we’ll be surfing Dungeons everytime we can. Even if its too big to paddle we are towing in. Then for July I’m between J-bay and the Transkei, where we are exploring some insane new big wave spots.

GM: South African surfing is experiencing a resurgence both in the pro contest realm and now especially with big wave riding and the Dungeons event. How does it feel to be a part of that movement?

Twiggy: Well it's great but you know we are just part of a long tradition. One of my first surfs in bigger waves when I was a grom was at the Bay (Bay of Plenty, Durban) and I remember you ripping it up back then, so it's nice to know that the win at Mav's is just a continuation of all the guys in South Africa who have been charging since the beginning!

GM: Ok bru, best of luck out there and let's hope the Ocean comes to you again.

Twiggy: Thanks.

* ZigZag Vol 30 #3 Craig Jarvis interview
Go to redbullbwa.co.za for updates on the Dungeons contest
Also, check wavescape.co.za and zigzag.co.za
For more information about the Mavericks contest, please visit www.maverickssurf.com

Grant Myrdal is a South African born photographer with a passion for travel, adventure and the natural world. He specializes in adventure sports photography, and his photos and words have been published in numerous magazines including Men's Journal, Blue, Surfer, The Surfer's Path, Surf Europe, Zigzag, Blunt and Surf Portugal. Grant is a contributor to Newyorksurf.com. To see more of Grant's work, please visit his website at www.snorus.com.