Welcome to the Gold Coast

Big wingspan, big turns. Photo Trevor Moran



R-Cal, cracking one down the line - only a matter of time 'til this guy's back on the CT! At 6'0" / 80kg, he rides a 6'0" x 18 7/8" x 2 3/8" x 28.1L Monsta 6. Photo Ryan Miller



Equally comfortable burying rail or throwing tail, Julian's been honing his power game all week on a brand new batch of shortboards, and it shows. At 6'0" / 80kg, he rides a 6'0 1/2" x 18 3/4" x 2 3/8" x 28L Monsta 6. Photo Ryan Miller



Jules, colour co-ordinated for a cause. If you get a chance, check his limited edition FCS and Hurley gear branded to support breast cancer research. Photo Ryan Miller



Ace, sharpening his already razor-edged backhand at Snapper. Having experimented with a lot of HYFIs during the off-season, from shortboards to step downs, he's kept plenty of options in the new tech close for the Quik Pro. At 5'9" / 76kg, he rides a 5'11" x 18 5/8" x 2 5/16" x 26L HYFI Monsta 6. Photo Trevor Moran



Sal arrived on the Gold Coast early enough to dial in boards during the best swell of the season so far, and she's been flairing on a batch of fresh, slightly narrower Monsta 6s. At 5'7" / 57kg, she rides a 5'8 1/2" x 17 5/8" x 2 3/16" x 22.3L M6 in fun to pumping surf. Photo Trevor Moran



Owen's been looking sharper than ever on the Gold Coast points during the contest warm ups, riding a few favourite new boards to match his even leaner frame. At 6'3" / 76kg, his go-to everyday Monsta 6 has been 6'3" x 19" x 2 3/8" x 30L. Photo Trevor Moran



Between some ridiculous days on the points, Joel and Jason found themselves some incredible beachies over the last swell to try a bunch of new sleds. Parko's go-to Monsta 6 is 6'0" x 18 7/8" x 2 3/8" x 28.1L, while Jason rode his Forget Me Not FOMO (channel bottom) 6'2" x 19" x 2 7/16" x 29.2L. Being almost exactly the same size (Joel's 6'0" / 83kg and JS is 5'11" / 83kg), the boys often trade boards to dial in new refinements even quicker. Clip - Jackson O'Brien



One of the highlights every year before the Quik and Roxy Pros start is the Juraki Surf Challenge, which Joel helps to put together alongside a range of legends behind the scenes who ensure plenty of young Aboriginal surfers get a chance to surf with their heroes. This year, Brandon Mercy from Coffs Harbour managed to take the win, with a little help from Parko. Due to barely any swell hanging around for the morning of the pairs challenge, he went with a HYFI Monsta Box 5'10" x 19 1/4" x 2 3/8" x 28.1L. Photo Trevor Moran