As last Saturday broke and spectators caught sight of the new swell thundering down the point at J-Bay, there could be little doubt about how special the final day of competition would turn out to be.

While the event this year witnessed some below-par conditions for J-Bay, leading some commentators even to question its return to the tour in place of Keramas, the ASP could hardly have scripted a better finish to the event with good friends, long-time tour rivals and Coolangatta pointbreak specialists Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson captivating on-lookers right to the very end.

All photos: Sacha Specker/Monster Energy