Jason Gribble, South Narrabeen, Australia

A long-period east swell pulsed into all Sydney beaches yesterday and, unsurprisingly, North Narrabeen was overrun with all manner of locals and debutantes, all wanting a slice of the sweetest pie. A coupla hundred meters to the south, the scene was very different, far more surreal. One lone, middle-aged woman doing Tai Chi on the beach and the incessant whir of a powered water craft carrying Matt Grainger and dragging Jason Gribble into unpaddle-able tubes like this one. This is one of the smaller ones, with larger sets pounding through every 20 minutes. Doesn’t look so scary ’till you consider the ferocity with which this kinda straight swell can belt a sand bank.