Thanks in no small part to El Niño, this past winter the Pacific Ocean served up some of the biggest waves in recent history. A one-week span in December saw Mavericks firing heavy bombs, Kelly Slater catching waves at Todos Santos with Greg Long and Grant “Twiggy” Baker, and both Waimea Bay and Jaws serving monstrous sets. Combined with epic contest conditions and an early spring at Teahupoo, the tenth-annual Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards is serving up arguably its greatest list of nominees.

The invitation-only awards show is being held at the Grove Theater in Anaheim, CA on Friday, April 23rd with a live webcast of the night’s festivities available at BillabongXXL.com. All nominated performances were captured by video, as required.

Some interesting notes of the 2010 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards:

- Four out of the five Ride of the Year nominees (with the winner receiving $50,000) paddled into their waves.

- Two of the nominated Ride of the Year waves were Maverick’s sessions, featuring former XXL Award winners Grant “Twiggy” Baker and Shane Dorian. This was Dorian’s first-ever surfing experience at Maverick’s, where he was catching waves before and during the recent contest.

Twiggy dropping in on a monster wave at Maverick's. Photo credit: Frank Quirarte/BillabongXXL.com

- Shane Dorian and Mark Healey are the first dual surf nomination for a single ride in XXL history. The pair shared a Waimea bomb (video highlights below). Dorian is also the first surfer to ever be credited with two waves as a finalist in the same category.

Shane Dorian (left) and Mark Healey sharing a Waimea Bay bomb. Photo credit: Bidu/BillabongXXL.com

- Sebastian Steudtner of Nuremburg, Germany was a virtual unknown before going left on a macking set at Jaws. Steudtner is nominated for a Billabong XXL Biggest Wave Award.

Sebastian Steudtner going left at Jaws. Photo credit: ErikAeder.com/BillabongXXL.com

- Jaws is nominated in the 2010 Billabong XXX Biggest Wave Award category for the first time in a half decade, thanks in-large part to El Niño conditions.

The nominees for the 2010 Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards, in alphabetical order:

FIVE BILLABONG XXL RIDE OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES
      (Surfer prize $50,000 - Video prize $5,000)
Grant Baker (Durban, South Africa) at Maverick’s, California on February 13, 2010.
(Video by Noel Robinson)
Shane Dorian (Kona, Hawaii, USA) at Maverick’s, California on February 13, 2010.
(Video by Noel Robinson)
Mark Healey & Shane Dorian (Sunset Beach & Kona, Hawaii, USA) at Waimea Bay, Hawaii on December 7, 2009.
(Video by Dwayne Fetch)
Ramon Navarro (Pichilemu, Chile) at Waimea Bay, Hawaii on December 8, 2009.
(Video by Marc Beaty/Surfline)
Raimana Van Bastolaer (Tahiti, French Polynesia) at Teahupoo, Tahiti on March 17, 2010
(Video by Aaron Lieber)

FIVE BILLABONG XXL BIGGEST WAVE AWARD NOMINEES
      (Surfer prize $15,000 and a Honda Aquatrax watercraft with HSA sled - Photo/video prize $4,000)
Ross Clarke-Jones (Torquay, Vic., Australia) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on December 25, 2009.
(Photos by Erik Aeder and Bruno Lemos. Video by Elliot Leboe.)
Danilo Couto (Bahia, Brazil) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on December 25, 2009.
(Photos by Erik Aeder and Batel Shimi. Video by Chris Tronolone.)
Makua Rothman (Sunset Beach, Hawaii, USA) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on January 11, 2010.
(Photos by Erik Aeder, Tracy Kraft, Bruno Lemos and Zak Noyle. Video by Tim Bonython and Elliot Leboe.)
Sebastian Steudtner (Nuremberg, Germany) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on December 7, 2009.
(Photos by Erik Aeder, Jeff Flindt, Sean Hower, Fred Pompermayer and Batel Shimi.)
Ian Walsh (Kuau, Hawaii, USA) at Jaws, Maui, Hawaii on January 11, 2010.
(Photo by Tim McKenna. Video by Tim Bonython and Elliot Leboe.)

FIVE MONSTER PADDLE AWARD NOMINEES
      (Surfer prize $15,000 - Photo/video prize $4,000)
Grant Baker (Durban, South Africa) at Maverick's, California on February 13, 2010.
(Photos by Doug Acton, Robert Brown, Tom Cozad, Art Gimbel, Todd Glaser, Ed Grant, Don Montgomery, Fred Pompermayer and Frank Quirarte. Video by Curt Myers, Eric Nelson and Noel Robinson.)
Shawn Dollar (Santa Cruz, California, USA) at Maverick's, California on February 13. 2010.
(Photos by Doug Acton, Robert Brown, Todd Glaser, Guerin Myall, Fred Pompermayer, Tyler Fox and Seth Migdail. Video by Eric Nelson and Noel Robinson.)
Mark Healey & Shane Dorian (Sunset Beach & Kona, Hawaii, USA) at Waimea Bay, Hawaii on December 7, 2009.
(Photos by Bidu, Brent Bielmann, Todd Glaser and Shorty. Video by Dwayne Fetch and Thomas Jamur.)
Alex Martins (San Francisco, California, USA) at Maverick’s, California on February 13, 2010.
(Photos by Scott Eggers, Art Gimbel, Don Montgomery, Fred Pompermayer and Frank Quirarte. Video by Eric Nelson and Noel Robinson.)
Ramon Navarro (Pichilemu, Chile) at Waimea Bay on December 8, 2009.
(Photos by Bidu, Jeremiah Klein, Pete Freiden, Scott Soens, Pete Hodgson, Brent Bielmann. Video by Mark Beaty/Surfline and Bruce Walker.)

FIVE MONSTER TUBE PHOTO AWARD NOMINEES
      (Surfer prize $5,000 - Still Photography prize $2,000)
Grant Baker (Durban, South Africa) at Maverick's, California on February 13, 2010.
(Photos by Doug Acton, Don Montgomery, Fred Pompermayer, and Frank Quirarte.)
Manoa Drollet (Tahiti, French Polynesia) at Teahupoo, Tahiti on March 17, 2010.
(Photos by Fred Pompermayer and Ben Thouard)
Rusty Long (San Clemente, California, USA) at Maverick’s, California on February 13, 2010.
(Photos by Don Montgomery, Fred Pompermayer and Frank Quirarte)
Mark Mathews (Maroubra, NSW, Australia) at The Right, Western Australia on June 15, 2009. (Photos by Calum Macaulay and Shorty.)
Raimana Van Bastolaer (Tahiti, French Polynesia) at Teahupoo, Tahiti on March 17, 2010.
(Photos by Fred Pompermayer and Ben Thouard)