With the word coming through this morning that this year's Pe'ahi Chellange is a go, hows about a look back at last year's event? The contest saw some of the largest waves ever paddled, waves that broke records, yet as it was held at the beginning of the El Nino winter those records were subsequently broken.

Still, it was an amazing spectacle and not just for the sheer size; some of the clutch moments involved late drops and death wish barrel riding. Waves that might not have been attempted outside of competition, sections that would have been avoided, were attacked with gusto. The coloured vest mentality overriding the survival instinct.