Big wave surfer Shane Dorian took home the during the 's (SIMA) annual on August 10 and 11. The former ASP pro has continued to push the boundaries of what's possible in big wave surfing over the past decade. In 2011, Dorian took home the . Past winners of the Waterman of the Year Award include Kelly Slater, Greg Long, and Laird Hamilton. Here's a quick SIMA write-up on why Dorian took home the award:
Waterman of the Year, Shane Dorian, is known as one of the most influential names in big wave riding today. To see Dorian push over the ledge at Waimea, fearlessly haul into massive waves at Pipe or sky-dive into the maelstrom at Teahupoo is to see the kind of commitment, spirit and surfing that takes one’s breath away. Since turning up on the surf media map in the late ‘80s, he has won a Hawaiian state title, pushed the paddle-in limits on the North Shore’s outer reefs, redefined deep tuberiding at spots like Backdoor, helped spearhead the “New School” of surfing, contended for a world title, towed in at spots like Jaws and continues to be on the frontier of cutting-edge, high-performance surfing. As not only a wave slayer who fears nothing, Dorian also gives back to the Hawaiian community annually during the Shane Dorian Keiki Classic, which spreads the love of surfing for free to Hawaiian youth and collects food for charity.
For more on Dorian, check out on Billabong.com.
SIMA handed out two other big wards over the weekend. Surfline founder Sean Collins, who died in December 2011, was named the winner of the . Jean Michel Cousteau took home the .
H/T: Grind TV
—Joe Spring