We have Australian magazine Surfing Life, filmmaker Sam Norwood, and the felicitous arrangement of billions of grains of sand “somewhere east of Western Australia” — but not, apparently, the east coast — to thank for this marvellous piece of footage. Tropical Cyclone Ola proved to be largely a disappointment, but Mick Fanning and his elite squadron of groms eschewed the crowds of Snapper, Kirra and northern NSW and were rewarded with long right-hand barrels to rival any of the east coast’s more illustrious counterparts. According to local lifeguards the bank was the best it had been in over seven years. Bede, Tyler, Tommy Whits, Ethan Ewing, Sheldon Simkus, Heath Joske, Beau Emerton, Billy Stairmand, Joe van Dijk also happened to be in town (so much for avoiding the crowds).