"No-one who loves the way of Grace comes to a bad end." - From Terrence Malick's Tree of Life.

The metaphysics of Pro Surfing is not a subject often discussed in polite company, at least not round these here parts where it would be considered incontrovertible proof of a terminal weirdness. But considering what we've witnessed over the last two days - the incredible richness and caprice of it - maybe we should tee it up and have a swing at it. Spirit, matter, the connection of man to nature, free will vs fate, our relationship to death: in short everything that distinguishes us from the beasts in the field, the birds in the sky and all that slithers, crawls and swims was on display in South Africa. It was transcendent at times and the horrifyingly anti-climactic final day only added to the joy of the day before.

Let's start our analysis here. First up, the performance differential was extremely tight amongst a core crew. That's a big difference from other comps this year and last. At the top of the performance tree we had a crowd that included Julian Wilson, Melling, Ace, Fanning, Parko Josh Kerr and Jordy.

There were weak heats in the mix for both Parko and Jordy. Parko was lucky to escape a tight Round 3 clash with Wilko, but showed plenty of composure to do the big turns required on a very rare set wave. Jordy found last years winning board but it was slow under foot and hesitant on the top turn. When he finally snapped it and moved to a slightly more refined squash tail his surfing came alive.

Fanning was rocking a tightly coiffed head of curls that resembled a merino ram and his surfing looked fully committed and sharper than anyone. A grab-rail cutback against Kai Otton in Round 3 was smooth as butter and the rail turn of the event for mine.

J-Dub was a revelation...finally. His squared-off bottom turns, often after an extravagant fade back into the pit, looked timeless and his repertoire off the top was progressive. His sizzling ten point tube-ride could provide a strong anchoring point for a confidence-based run through the middle to back end of the year. More impressively, J-Dub trash-talked the King, labelling him disrespectful in no-showing J-Bay and has shown no qualms in putting his desire for a World Title front and centre. This kid has some mojo and doesn't care who knows it.

Julian demonstrated a fundamental truth about surfing J-Bay. The best rides are symphonic, sublimating emotion and tempo into something that borders on the artistic. Unlike the brutal simplicity of Teahupoo or Pipeline, where the basest instincts of fear and self-preservation must be conquered, J-Bay requires the utilisation of more sublime and higher faculties. A great ride resonates in the mind, leaving an after-trace which should be seen as the original justification for Pro Surfing as a spectacle.

Seen in that light Jordy's run turned the corner in his Round 5 heat in the afternoon against Bede. His rhythm became impeccable and his top turn carving wraps were dominant. A huge rotated air reverse to end the heat brought a roar of emotion from the crowd. He was feeling it, feeding off it.

Parko was feeling it to; a superbly constructed ride right in front of Fanning netted a high nine and illustrated the worth of the three man Round 4 heats. They can offer the most entertaining surfing of the event and give a chance to establish dominance. In a slightly different configuration, one where the event was finished during Saturdays sublime surf and not Sundays slop, Parko's dominant display in Round 4 could have had stronger ramifications.

As it was, Sunday dawned here with the local pointbreaks a few shades off absolute perfection. After feasting on a few double-overhead sidewinders, it was time to get back to the program. One look at the opening webcast could see the surf had morphed into the most horrible kind of onshore mud. 'This'll be a pure crapshoot', I thought. After yesterday's high the remembrance service for AI's birthday was rich with symbolism. Was the spirit of Andy somewhere out in that horrible slop? I swear I could hear him cackling away somewhere.

Jordy had a plan: He found the inside runners, he kept busy, he carved and drifted and laid down solid scores. It was, in point of fact, a very similar strategy used by Kelly Slater when surf turned to shit.

In the final analysis the Final was fought by the two best surfers of the event and the judges must be given credit for their work. After Rio's brain explosions it's obvious the panel have done the hard yards to re-establish sanity and credibility in their decisions. Despite a few shonky numbers the point spread always looked spot on at the end of the heat. The webcast too, was first rate. The small picture in picture whilst Poges did his beach work enabled coverage of the live action to proceed and the heats on demand were right on the money.

A sudden and overwhelming sickness struck me down as the Final siren sounded - the reason this post has come so late. My apologies, sports fans. The title race deepens, with several contenders, and Tahiti now assumes extra strategic importance. Fans pray for a solid swell which would iron out the pretenders.

Check back for an Epilogue in the coming days.