Surfline’s Wave of the Winter Presented by Nike

March 14, 2012, Huntington Beach, California/USA –Reef McIntosh’s hollow Off-the-Wall barrel ride earned top honor as Wave of the Winter for the 2011-12 North Shore season. McIntosh was awarded $25,000 for his wave, while cameraman Lachlan McKinnon earned $5,000 for capturing the memorable video. Out of the 21 finalists from this year’s event, the expert judging panel of Gerry Lopez, Sunny Garcia, Ross Willliams and Pancho Sullivan unanimously named McIntosh the winner.
“It was unanimous,” Head Judge Gerry Lopez explained. “Reef's wave was just so perfectly beautiful and his cool, collected mastery in riding it gave him the edge over the rest.”
McIntosh arrived at LAX last night, where Surfline Editor Mike Cianciulli and Nike Global Surf Team Manager Frankie D’Andrea presented him with his $25,000 check.
Wave of the Winter presenting sponsor Nike was proud to award the grand prize to McIntosh. “Reef's performance this winter showcases an athlete who's truly made for the moment," said Peter Jasienski, Nike Global Surf Brand Manager. "Congrats, Reef. See you next year.”