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Want to watch the world’s best surfers at the world’s best sandbar? Yeah, us too. That’s why we put on the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast every year. Never disappoints.

For better or for worse, snowboard comps have grown to a grand stage. Gold medals. Mega prize purses. Huge crowds, corporate support.

“Seeing you last year was one of the saddest things I’ve ever been through. So if anybody was going to beat me today, I’m glad it was you.”

That’s what Matt Wilkinson had to say to one of his best friends, Owen Wright, 20 seconds after the final horn of the 2017 Quiksilver Pro.

Tired of watching heats? Neither were we — but we decided to dip away from the comp and sneak a surf in anyway. The Quik team went HAM at a nearby beach break.

There are good waves. There are great waves. And then there are the type of waves we had today — words don’t do them justice. These photos do, though.

The opening ceremony for the Quiksilver In Memory Of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational is one of surfing’s grandest gatherings. The best big wave riders in the world all converge at Waimea Bay. They come with boards, they come with respect, and they take part in native ceremonies there in the sacred sand. Eventually, they paddle out and form a prayer circle in the lineup — silhouettes of superheroes shadow off into sea as the sun melts into the Pacific. It really is something.