Joel Parkinson, Bells Beach, Torquay, Australia

Mick Fanning thought he had all but won the final of the Rip Curl Pro, Bells Beach. He turned out of the lip to end his second scoring wave, and pumped his fist in happiness. But Joel Parkinson wasn’t done. With priority in the dying seconds and in need of a big score, Joel took off on a wave that Mick was already riding, forcing him to kick out. Joel raced past some sections, then tucked under the lip – it was a perfect 10 point ride. The Aboriginal dancers you see here treated Joel to a face-painting, as well as handing him one of their native instruments – the didgeridoo. Though he’s rung the bell twice before, Joel said this victory was the sweetest. He even rang the bell so enthusiastically that he broke off the piece of rope attached to the clapper. “I’ve won three Bells, but this one feels sweeter,” he said after the final. “The history, the prestige of the 50th Anniversary and having Mick in the final made today really special. Mick and I surfed against each other a lot when we were kids, so we’re kind of used to it, but sometimes it has that feeling of when we were 12 or 13 years-old.” Joel is now ranked number two in the world ratings. He’ll now look toward the Billabong Pro, Brazil – the competition with the second highest prize purse on tour at $500k, starting May 11th in Rio De Janeiro.