Matt Wilkinson, Arpoador, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Matty Wilko’s been touted as the man to fill the hi-fi void Dane Reynolds’ absence from tour has caused. He’s sure having a good go at it – he torched this gem of a rotation this morning, in his round two heat against Bobby Martinez at the Billabong Pro, Rio. The contest was again run at the site of Arpoador and the waves were similar to yesterday, maybe a little smaller, maybe a little cleaner, maybe a tiny bit less punchy.

Two floaters on his back-up wave weren’t enough to overcome Bobby’s fully-completed, coupla-turns-apiece scoring rides. “Ahhhhhhh losing blowwsss!!!!!!!!” Tweeted Matty. In the game of cards that is competitive surfing, heats like this just go to show that a pair of jacks will beat an ace and a four, every time.

Be sure to check out more of Ryan’s photography on his site, here.