"He paddled straight up to me and his eyes were really wide and he's like, 'Did you get that one?'"

A down home session with locals in the water and Kyron Rathbone behind the camera.

"Pressure, and the inability to respond to it, was the defining theme of Finals Day," reports Steve Shearer.

For Sammy Lowe, 2024 was a dim year that ended with a diamond day.

"The history of pro surfers making political statements is a short but noteworthy one."

Though swell direction could be troublesome for Praia do Norte.

"The desert gets watered with pro surfer tears," writes Steve Shearer in a sizzling recap.