Mick Fanning, Lake Teahupoo

Stagnation and leisure have a tendency to breed unrest and alcohol abuse. While that’s not been the case for Mick Fanning, who has spliced the past seven days at Lake Teahupoo with UFC on Playstation three, ping pong tournaments against Ace Buchan, Matt Wilkinson and Jay ‘Bottle’ Thompson and alone time with his book, fears remain for the rest of the top 45. As idyllic and tropical as Teahupoo might be, they ain’t lying when they call it the “end of the road.” Without waves detonating on the reef, place gets reeeeal quiet. The speck of a village consists of around four local huts dispensing food at the river mouth that feeds into the reef at Teahupoo (these pop up especially for the event). Across the road is what some might call a restaurant and others a rickety house, which serves chow, beers and hosts a dude singing reggae on a cheap keyboard some nights. If western clubs, restaurants and nightlife are what you’re after, it’s a 45 minute drive to Papeete – too far for most pros. Thus when surfers are confronted with a week of flatness, minds can start to go inwards. In 2009, your author was present for a seven day lay off between rounds one and two. Despite the discovery of a wave up the point offering six foot A-frames, tales of debauchery continued to abound. Howls and laughter could be heard late into the night out on the point at Chopes, accompanied by the unmistakable scent of singed Ganja. Rumour had it a Hawaiian and Brazilian tour surfer even found themselves engaged in a physical altercation. – Jed Smith