Big Wave Surfers Score 25-Foot Todos Santos: ‘As Good As It Gets’ (Photos)
Over the weekend, a handful of the world’s best big wave surfers assembled in Ensenada, the quaint port city in Baja, Mexico. The raison d'être? To compete in a specialty surf contest, the likes of which are rarely seen in today’s big wave surfing scene.
The 2026 Thriller at Killers event went down on Saturday, February 7th with 25-foot-plus waves breaking at the famed Todos Santos island. After all was said and done – the heavy drops nailed, the wipeouts endured, the high-fives slapped in the channel – event organizer and big wave surfer himself, Gary Linden, proclaimed:
“I’ve been running big-wave events for six decades, and this was as good as it gets. The ocean delivered beyond expectations, the athletes rose to the moment, and everything came together in a way you rarely see.”
The event ran as such: two men’s semifinals, followed by a final, and one women’s final. In the end, South Africa’s Grant “Twiggy” Baker took the win on the men’s side, and San Diego’s Katie McConnell brought it home for the women. (Side note: French big wave starlet Justine Dupont took a nasty spill during the event; read more here.)
Reflecting on the session from the safety of land, not knowing he had won yet, Twiggy said: “It was magical. It was the best I’ve scored Todos ever.”
As it turns out, Twiggy had been on a swell-chasing bender leading up to the event. First, he hit Waimea Bay, then he flew to Maverick’s, and finally, drove directly down to Mexico for the Thriller at Killers event – all following the same swell. How he felt after the spree?
“I feel pretty good,” Twiggy smiled. “I think I’ll definitely crash pretty hard tonight. [Laughs.]”
Keep scrolling for highlights of the event; all photos courtesy of Frank Quirarte.
Results
Men:
- Grant "Twiggy" Baker
- Nic Lamb
- Greg Long
- Jamie Mitchell
- Quetzal Estrada
- Cody Purcell
Women
- Katie McConnell
- Zoe Chait
- Justine Dupont
- Bianca Valenti
- Mikaela Fregonese, Isabelle Leonhardt (tie)