Dane Reynolds, round one air-revs at Nike Lowers Pro, CA

Dane Reynolds surfing in a contest is a rare treat in 2012. He showed up at the Quiksilver Pro, Gold Coast at the start of the year, wowed but lost in his two heats, then disappeared and was only noticeable in his absence during the Rip Curl Pro, Bells Beach. But the prospect of a contest at Lowers, a spot he knows intimately, was too much to resist. So we saw Dane in the round of 96 at the Nike Lowers Pro this morning, posting an 8.73 and an 8.63 in heat 15. He lay down numerous frontside spins and pocket-wrap combos, like the frontside air-revs pictured here. And unlike on the Gold Coast, he won his first heat. Tune in for more of the Venturan at Lowers tomorrow.