With a mere two day window of swell available, the Mad Hueys fly to their fave Pacific Island and milk the place dry.

John John Florence has won his fourth Volcom Pipe Pro title in five years, defeating Mason Ho, Kelly Slater, and Sebastian Zietz in highly technical, 6-to-8 foot Backdoor.

The recent Queensland election appears likely to have a positive effect on Gold Coast environmental issues.

"I started working with in water flash setups a number of years ago on a trip to the Maldives. The results were never anything special, kind of immature, with no real look or feel that held any weight."

Meet the folk behind each of the shortlisted films at the Sydney Surf Film Festival. This time 'round it's an improbable but enthusiastic crew of Austrian filmmakers.