MAUI, Dec 7 — American Billy Kemper rode to win at the first ever Big Wave Tour Pe’ahi Challenge event in wild conditions as wave heights reached 50 feet (15 metres) and higher yesterday in Hawaii.

The top four finishers were all Americans, with Albee Layer finishing in second place, Greg Long in third, and Ian Walsh fourth.

The event took place on the Hawaiian island of Maui, in a location nicknamed “Jaws” for its unpredictable surfing conditions and unusually large waves.

The World Surf League Big Wave Tour has held just one other event in the 2015-16 season with the wave sizes needed taking place rarely. — AFP-Relaxnews

File picture of big-wave surfer Kealii Mamala of Hawaii wiping out on a large wave at Praia do Norte, Portugal, November 13, 2015. Several Americans finished top of the leaderboard at the Big Wave Tour Pe'ahi Challenge in Hawaii. — Reuters pic