The first day of the Pipe Masters hummed along just swimmingly - coupla barrels here, coupla barrels there - as Pipe and Backdoor put on their friendly faces. Any drama came from the qualification shuffle as surfers fought for the last few places on next year's tour.

“Go to Mozambique NOW. It's too small for Skeleton Bay and there's nothing of interest at J-Bay.”

Highlights from two days of waves somewhere on the East Coast. A place that demands maximum commitment from the surfers who run the gauntlet between the shallow rock and the double-sucking face.