Monster ride to surfing stardom - The West Australian - 17th February 2008

WA big wave surfer Alex “Alfy” Carter has ridden away with the top prize in the Oakley Surfing Life biggest wave award after an electrifying trip on a 14m-plus wave during an extreme surfing session in the South-West.

The $20,000 prize was presented to Carter at the Bondi Pavilion in Sydney on Thursday night after judges deemed his monster wave was bigger than those ridden by Queenslander Mark Visser and Hawaiians Ian Walsh and Jamie Sterling. It was a sweet victory for Carter who was runner-up last year.

His monster moment was in September at Cow Bombie, a break 6km offshore at Margaret River.

Carter said the win was a major relief.

“Now I can pay the taxman all the money I’ve owed him for the past few years,” he said.

The award opens doors for Carter to compete in other big wave events around the globe that don’t often attract the major money and sponsorship of the regular world surfing tour.

Carter said the award might change some things for him but it would not change the way he surfed.

He also received a new jetski which should come in handy after the same break that won him the award also claimed his old one.

“The ski conked out about 3m from the worst possible spot,” Carter said.

“We got three waves on the head and that was it for the ski.”

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