The real drama of Mick Fanningand Yadin Nicol's 2013 nailbiter final actually occurred after the heat was over and champagne corks unleashed, as surf-fans debated whether Fanning's last-second, World Title-deciding 9.7 ride deserved the score it received. Fanning had needed a 9 to win his third World Title. And Nicol, who needed to win the heat to remain on tour, had set the bar with a 9.33 earlier in the heat. Even with slow-motion replay, the finer points of a 9.7 versus an 8.7 are as subtle as the accents of a fine wine. And while no judge has ever succumbed to the excitement of a double-fist claim in the misting spray of a last second second reef comeback bomb… well, the score-and the World Title-remain on the history books.
