More than 2,000 spectators turned out on Saturday 19th September to see Red Bull Unleashed wavepool contest.

"When you’re surfing on the Championship Tour you surf against the best in the world," said Fanning. "A fourth world title won’t be easy, especially when I have to surf against people like Adriano.”

Join award winning Australian photographer Shane Peel as he journeys to the mountains, beaches, and silver birch forests of Japan's northern most island, Hokkaido.

It's been ten years since Gordon Clark upped and shut his foam blowing operation and the reverberations are still be being felt. The latest blank technology - developed by a young Sydney surfer - is getting the thumbs up from shapers, including the world's largest board manufacturer.

"Yeah, there's been some 'sticker shock,' I guess you could call it," says Slater, "But I think part of that is that people were expecting traditional surf-label prices."