Photos: From The Channel At Cloudbreak

There's no doubt about it, big swells at Cloudbreak are more common than once thought. There was a time, and it doesn't seem that long ago, when the swell in Fiji would get to a certain size and everyone would split for Restaurants, leaving Cloudbreak to do its thing for a lonely few.

Now, of course, everyone's caught onto it.

Yet having a big swell forecast isn't enough. There's a particular swell pattern that unfurls south of Tasmania, reinforcing as it passes the NSW coast, that agrees with the ledge at Cloudbreak. And once that swell arrives, the local wind plays a massive factor in what will unfold. Though Cloudbreak can 'handle' the trades, the waves will chandelier and clamp. No-one gets ten-second tubes, as Soli Bailey did, when the wind is 15 knots from the south-east.

The swell that struck Cloudbreak last Thursday had a favourable tailwind - literal and metaphorical - with all the elements lining up for swell development and local conditions upon arrival.

Nigel Abello (@nigel_abello) shot the following photos from the channel last Thursday.

Cloudbreak isn't always blinding feel-your-eyelids-peel-back speed, the middle section especially can ease off the accelerator and bring curves into play. Here, Jai Glindeman hits the anchors as reverberations from the wave before drift up the face.

Cloudbreak is an easy wave to get barrelled on, but difficult to ride deeply as the wave is prone to bursts of acceleration that'll catch the laggard unaware. The difficulty rises with size, not to mention the risk, so surfers with on the ground experience, like local Che Slatter here, are often found riding deepest.

Then again, there are those surfers who'll fly in armed with a mix of courage and other-worldly talent and take their spot in the order. Nathan Florence is one of them, shown here receiving a spontaneous reception from the channel.

Parker Coffin packing a helmet and safety vest, and an almighty big cavern.

You'll have to take my word for it, but that's Benji Brand in the mist of this flawless cavern. "I'm still in disbelief," wrote Benji afterwards, "the day I dreamed about my whole life happened and I’m so grateful to have been a part of it."

Jai Glindeman, in sequence, shaving off speed for the upcoming bowl, dragging his outside hand on the water through this mid-face stall...

...then shifting to his inside rail and accelerating as the wave pitches...

...all the way through the Shishkabob's section where the spit obscures Jai moments before it delivers him safely in the channel.

Even from three rows back Soli's barrel is impressive.

Veteran of countless Cloudbreak missions, Anthony King got his fair share of barrels.

Kingy breaks from regular transmission, banking his Murray Bourton gun off the top.

While not as obviously tall, Jojo Roper got one of the longest barrels of the day - not including Soli Bailey's wave - with this high line runner that just wouldn't stop.

A guy who eats fifteen-foot freefalls for breakfast: Billy Kemper red-lining from way back.

The definitive wave from the Volcom Pro swell of 2012 was undoubtedly Mark Healey's unsheathed board going over the falls. It's hard to say what will the the lasting memory of this swell, though Nathan Florence's look back will be a contender.