It's no secret that Snapper Rocks, home of the upcoming Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast contests, has been going off (see exhibits A, above, and B, below). But on Monday, it reached a new level of glory when QS surfer Mitch Parkinson scored the wave of his life, finding seven tube sections on a single wave.
"It was close to one of the best rides I've ever had," he told news.com.au.
"The bank is 10 out of 10 right now. It doesn't get much better than this. It can be a real battle to get a wave [at Snapper] but [the locals] have been able to pull rank."
Fanning's Snapper Warmup
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The three-time World Champion got his feet wet with some of the best Snapper has to offer. When the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast kicks off March 10, he'll be up against Jadson Andre and a yet-to-be-named third surfer in his Round 1 heat.
In a September interview with Surfing Magazine, Parkinson's famous cousin, 2012 World Champion Joel Parkinson, described Mitch as "fearless." The veteran often takes Mitch along on surf trips, where he pushes his elder to drop in when the waves get heavy.
"Over the years he's really matured," said Parkinson. "And now he's one of the boys."
Numerous icons of Australian surfing have cut their teeth on Snapper's Superbank, which formed in 1995, when the Tweed River sand bypass system was created and began pumping sand out to surrounding beaches. Along with the Parkinsons, Mick Fanning and Dean "Dingo" Morrison grew up there. Joel, Mick and Dingo became known as the "Cooly kids," short for their hometown of Coolangatta. In addition to the men, six-time World Champ Stephanie Gilmore calls Snapper home.
Catch the action at Snapper live when the men's and women's 2016 Championship Tour season kicks off there starting March 10, local time. Watch the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast contests live daily on the WSL website and app.
7 Barrels, 1 Wave. All-Time Snapper
Anna Dimond
Video courtesy Outer Path Films
It's no secret that Snapper Rocks, home of the upcoming Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast contests, has been going off (see exhibits A, above, and B, below). But on Monday, it reached a new level of glory when QS surfer Mitch Parkinson scored the wave of his life, finding seven tube sections on a single wave.
"It was close to one of the best rides I've ever had," he told news.com.au.
"The bank is 10 out of 10 right now. It doesn't get much better than this. It can be a real battle to get a wave [at Snapper] but [the locals] have been able to pull rank."
In a September interview with Surfing Magazine, Parkinson's famous cousin, 2012 World Champion Joel Parkinson, described Mitch as "fearless." The veteran often takes Mitch along on surf trips, where he pushes his elder to drop in when the waves get heavy.
"Over the years he's really matured," said Parkinson. "And now he's one of the boys."
Numerous icons of Australian surfing have cut their teeth on Snapper's Superbank, which formed in 1995, when the Tweed River sand bypass system was created and began pumping sand out to surrounding beaches. Along with the Parkinsons, Mick Fanning and Dean "Dingo" Morrison grew up there. Joel, Mick and Dingo became known as the "Cooly kids," short for their hometown of Coolangatta. In addition to the men, six-time World Champ Stephanie Gilmore calls Snapper home.
Catch the action at Snapper live when the men's and women's 2016 Championship Tour season kicks off there starting March 10, local time. Watch the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast contests live daily on the WSL website and app.
Mitch Parkinson
The Gold Coast switched on just after the Australian leg was switched off, but an all-star cast still made the most of the swell.
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