Tommy Myers’ story is the gift that keeps on giving and every corner of the surfing world continues to lap it up. After blowing up the internet twice this year with almost identical caverns at the Queenscliff Bombie on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, the Freshwater local added a number of stickers to his new quiver last month when joined team Florence, Pyzel and Veia. Now, the 33-year-old has been recognised globally for his efforts after winning Ride of the Year at the Big Wave Challenge.
At the start of 2025 the soon to be father of three could never have imagined his year would turn out this way. Tommy works two jobs as a firefighter and carpenter, he’s president of the Freshwater Boardriders Club and he’s just pipped Kipp Caddy’s ride at Jaws and Alo Slebir’s Mavericks Mountain to one of the most prestigious awards in big wave surfing.
Tommy has received praise from the likes of Kelly Slater, Tom Carroll and his new boss, Nathan Florence who, in one social media comment, called Tommy his ‘hero’. With his name plastered across the big wave surfing world and some new stickers on the nose of his board, we can expect to see Tommy chasing more swells across the globe.
Other winner’s at the awards night held in California over the weekend included 23-year-old Slebir who won the Biggest Wave honour for the wave at Mavs which has been touted as possibly the biggest to ever be ridden.
As always, a number of waves at Jaws took top honours including Wilem Banks’ Biggest Paddle award, Ty Simpson-Kane’s Wipeout of the Year and Michaela Fregonese’s Ride of the Year and Biggest Wave honors.
Big wave stalwarts Lucas ‘Chumbo’ Chianca and Justine Dupont were honoured with Surfer of the Year Awards.
