Clay Pollioni, New Jersey, USA

Hey, you like New Jersey? This spot is called Bayhead – a place where the sand has played favourably for every swell this year, even after all the beach work that’s been done since the Hurricane hit in 2012, a disaster that cost Clay Pollioni, pictured here, pretty much all his worldly possessions. But since that went down? He’s been on his A-game in the water (cue: this photo). The moody clouds bring a whole lot to the party, too.