Dane Reynolds, Portugal

A turn like dis ain’t always enough to get you through a heat. While mad-doggin’ certainly fetches high numbers, threading a coupla long tunnels can still get you where you need to be. In his round two heat of the Rip Curl Pro, Portugal, Dane stroked into his first scoring wave (his third of the heat) and flared the fins on his first turn, going for broke but coming unstuck – a 1.17 outta 10.00. Second wave, he nailed the rotation you see above, scoring a 7.5. His next two waves didn’t get above a 1.00. During all this, South African Travis Logie was quietly going about his business on the lefts, tucking into long caves and eventually ousting the Venturan star. His first wave earned an 8.93, and he then capitalised with a 7.13. Regardless of the loss, event organisers will know the replay left on the heat on demand will be one of the most viewed of the event. Our industry insider reveals that Dane’s heats are by far the most viewed on demand.– Elliot Struck