The image that defines a swell, Mark Healey, Cloudbreak

Nothing like a 9’0 hunk of fibreglass to give some perspective. This was yesterday afternoon, when Mark Healey decided to undo his leash and swim under this beast in a session that will go down for the ages. How big is it? Twenty feet. In case you missed it, the Volcom Fiji Pro ran two heats yesterday before they deemed the conditions not suitable for competition. There’s mountains of conversation on whether the right call was made and you’ll see even in our vocal commentary divided opinion. Whatevs. There’s no denying that one of the best big-wave sessions of all time then ensued. And the Volcom webcast cameras continued to roll. The best of the best big-wave surfers in the world were all in town for the swell and put on a dynamite show that will be talked about for a very long time. “Guys are getting the best waves of their lives out there right now,” said CJ Hobgood. “This is what these guys live for. Nothing else is happening in the world.” Photo: Bielmann/Volcom