Surfing
Surfing
See the Superbank's most dedicated surfers take on flawless cyclone swell
Summer means perfect cyclone surf for Australia's east coast, and this swell went above and beyond all expectations for Superbank veterans like Mick Fanning, Julian Wilson, and Joel Parkinson.
There are few things more exciting – and responsibility-killing – for an Australian surfer than the sight of an unruly cyclone spinning south out of the Coral Sea and hovering at a safe enough distance to bring swell but not too much rough weather to the east coast. Queensland's surfers are particularly susceptible to the images of such a swell, because that means, very soon, their beloved Superbank will begin firing.
To be expected, WSL heroes Julian Wilson, Mick Fanning, and Joel Parkinson were in the spot, and drawing squeals of pure joy from the spectators amassed on the rocks and walkways that stretch Australia's famous – and infamously crowded – Superbank, from Snapper Rocks to Kirra.
Along with Wilson, Fanning and Parkinson, other Superbank regulars, like Elliot Reid, Soli Bailey, Mitch Parkinson, Brett Levingston, Josh Glennon, Jack Freestone, Damon Harvey, Laura Enever, Mitch Crews, Bede Durbidge, and Nick Vasicek were busy putting on a show, standing tall in one rifling right-hander after another.
Feast your eyes on the fresh edit at the top of the page from veteran Gold Coast filmer Lachie Mckinnon, to see all the key moments from a handful of blissful hours at the Superbank, and then click through Ted Grambeau's breathtaking images from those sessions. This swell is hopefully just the opening salvo of long and firing summer wave season on the Gold Coast.
