While surfers in the Northern Hemisphere await the arrival of El Niño-fueled big winter waves, there has been no shortage of massive swells around the world in the last six months. Just last week, Shipstern Bluff -- a notoriously shallow wave off the southern tip of Tasmania, Australia -- produced some of the most spectacular rides of the year and triggered numerous entries into the BILLABONG XXL GLOBAL BIG WAVE AWARDS. Spawned by a massive storm in the Southern Ocean, the huge swell was challenged by a group of big wave chargers including Aussies MARTI PARADISIS and KARL ATKINS, who used jet powered watercraft to tow into the towering walls of water.<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://ll.broadbandsports.com/images/40396_thumb.jpg" alt="SURFERS RIDE GIANT WAVES AROUND THE WORLD-BILLABONG XXL" title="SURFERS RIDE GIANT WAVES AROUND THE WORLD-BILLABONG XXL" width="150" height="90" alt="SURFERS RIDE GIANT WAVES AROUND THE WORLD-BILLABONG XXL"/>
