Age: 22.
Lives: Gold Coast, Qld.
Sponsors: Rhythm, Nixon.
Claim to fame: Winning a US$10,000 Nixon watch for riding a 10-foot death slab at Teahupoo in Tahiti during the 2008 VZ Trials.  
Why he could win: His big-wave footage and fearless attitude will blow minds. Hippo has also dominated sessions at Shipsterns and WA.
Strengths: Pulling into giant slabs of water.
Weaknesses: Being a bigger bloke, Hippo often struggles to get going in shitty, powerless waves.