Yeah, New Jersey scored last week from a decent Nor'easter, and then again on Thursday the 27th, certain beachbreaks offered up hours of tubes. And the best way to work off holiday gluttony is to stuff oneself into coldwater shacks. Photo: Scott Miller

Yeah, we covered Friday's north swell earlier this week in this feature, but when this angle of Laniakea came across our desks after the fact, it was so darn...good-epic that we just had to post. Photo: Andrew Shield

While Garrett McNamara, Andrew Cotton and friends were tackling maxing Nazare last week, some more mortal-type surfers enjoyed an all-day tubefest at Coxos, one of Portugal's best reefbreaks. Photo: Ricardo Bravo

This week's Nor'easter wasn't exactly what the East Coast needed after Sandy, but it did send surf to many areas affected by the storm, including North Carolina. "Some crazy ones at the jetty," said NC photog Daniel Pullen. "Can't wait to get another north swell. Well, wait -- I think I can, because we need our road fixed. If it keeps up like this we won't get the road put back in place." Stay tuned for the full story on the storm -- and what surfers are doing to rebuild. Photo: Daniel Pullen

There was a reason Surfline forecasters called for California to be the "Best Bet" for October. It wasn't 'cause it was gonna be giant or anything. It was because this is the time of year when we get good conditions -- as in all-day glass -- and combo swells from the NW, W, SW, S and even the occasional hurricane SE swell thrown in for good measure. Here's just one moment on one random stretch of beach in a month-long run of superfun surf. Photo: Paul Greene

"That was mid-morning," photog Stu Gibson remarked. "The winds swung, then went dead glassy -- it was an amazing three days of waves; not XXL size but there was no wind and perfect long period swell. All the waves in Fiji were firing; so many waves, so many memories...postcard Fiji at its best!" Photo: Stu Gibson

"A moderate-size storm developed in the eastern South Pacific a little over a week into September, with high pressure ridging in behind it," Surfline's Kevin Wallis explains of the swell that fueled this Punta Roca session. "This High/Low combination produced winds of 30- to 35-knots and seas of 25- to 30-feet, aimed relatively well at Central America." Photo: Casey Rossi

"It helps having a mate with a plane," WA photog Jamie Scott laughs. "It turns a usual 12-hour drive into an enjoyable 1.5-hour flight, 12C degrees into 25C degrees and howling messy onshore into groomed offshore. Gotta love the Wright brothers." Photo: Jamie Scott

"It was one of those rare days where practically every wave was a perfect barrel for six hours straight," explained Dylan Fish, Tavarua Island General Manager of Tuesday's session. "Surfline would know best, but I'm guessing it was the combo swell (long period mixed with short period). And the light winds until lunchtime didn't hurt either!" Photo: Scott Winer

"There were only five guys out this morning and all the big sets went unridden," says photog Josh Lacar. "The waves were just freight-training perfectly down the reef without any takers." Jonathan Warren explains: "Typhoon Haikui kicked back a solid WSW'erly swell to Okinawa during the first week of August; the 8th featured a pumping tropical swell for the exposed breaks of the island, while the storm was spinning in an ideal spot to also provide offshore winds for Okinawa's west side." Photo: Josh Lacar

"That's Spencer Hornby swimming in the lineup; we were shooting double angles this day," Western Australia-based photographer Russell Ord explains of this spot up north. "A ten hour drive to wake up to pristine, glassy conditions and light winds, with not a soul in sight...it's these very moments that make the drive all worth it." Photo: Russell Ord

"After having a really bad June, the first week of July was greeted with flawless conditions," explained Puerto photog Edwin Morales. "As good as it gets by Puerto standards, with solid six- to eight-foot surf up and down the beach. (With an occasional 10-foot set to keep everyone on their toes.) Everyone was super stoked on seeing epic surf after a whole month of bad waves and horrible weather, especially Hurricane Carlotta." (Stay tuned for some Wave of the Summer entries as well as a full swell story on Monday.) Photo: Edwin Morales

"Kirra has been pretty good on a few occasions this year, but this swell is probably the best it's been since the breakwalls were shortened and Superbank was formed over ten years ago," explains Gold Coast lensman Andrew Shield. "Four- to eight-foot for four days now and strong offshore winds." Photo: Andrew Shield. [Gold Coast forecast.]

"Today was a historic day in big wave surfing," Greg Long explains. "Never in my life have I witnessed so many incredible rides go down in a single session. The conditions were impeccable the entire day. Those who were here for the swell last year were saying this one was a fair bit larger and much more perfect with the largest sets and peak of the swell arriving around 3:30pm." Meanwhile, Ian Walsh confirms, "These were the craziest big waves I have ever seen. I think it was the best day I have ever surfed in big waves." Photo: Lucia Griggi

Puerto Escondido saw a great May, and the first few days of June saw more solid beachbreak tubes grace the shores of Playa Zicatela. June 1st also marked the opening day of Surfline's Wave of the Summer contest presented by Nike, where the winner will receive a cool $15,000 for the best wave ridden on this stretch between now and August 31st. Click here for more info on the contest. Photo: Michael Anable

"It's been a great season so far in Indonesia with consistent, medium-sized swell and good conditions," explains photog Andrew Shield, who just arrived from the Gold Coast. "This was the sight greeting newly-arrived guests of the Telo Island Lodge on Monday morning." Photo: Andrew Shield

[For those with good-epic memories, we did run a Telos lineup last May -- our only video GOOD-EPIC. Check it out. It's still awesome.]

"From dawn to dusk, flawless six- to eight-foot sets peeled down the point with light offshores, as good a direction as I've ever seen," says frequent J-Bay visitor Jack Smith. "Nowhere else in the world I would rather have been." [For Sean Collins' Mechanics of J-Bay, click here.] Photo: Jack Smith

Here's the same swell that hit Tavarua last week; very different surf, though no less impressive. "A classic autumn day dawned at Raglan on Wednesday, with solid southwest swell pumping its way through all three left points," said photog Rambo Estrada. "Laird Hamilton turned up with his hydrofoil and proceeded to clock up leg-burning rides in excess of three minutes on the long walls." Photo: Rambo Estrada

"The last couple hours before dark on Sunday was about as good as it gets: long, hollow and very makeable," explains Outer Banks photog Matt Lusk. "It was a regularfooter's dream and a great warmup for Monday's all-day affair. Here's one of the many unridden gems that rifled down the sandbar." Photo: Matt Lusk [Check back later for the full East Coast swell story. We got more goods.]

Seasons are changing; Southern Hemisphere swells are returning to Indo. "A large swell hit Bali and Java coinciding with a full moon," photog Mick Curley reported. "As history shows, full moon swells can offer insane conditions and waves larger than expected with the big tidal movement. Although it was only a short, two-day swell there were some solid lines and everyone got their fair share of waves." Photo: Mick Curley

How was your Thursday morning? Probably not this good, unless you're Kelly Slater or any number of WCT pros and locals who gorged on a three-day Gold Coast tube-bender. "This section is called Sharkies. It's the very top of the cove at Burleigh," explains local photog Andrew Shield. "Most people jump in around at Tallebugera Creek to surf it. We've had three perfect mornings in a row -- and the best Burleigh barrels of the year coincided with the death of MP." Photo: Andrew Shield

What did you wake up to this morning? "With the early season swells and small crowd, tons of perfect waves go unridden at Puerto Escondido," explained local photog Edwin Morales when we asked where everyone was. "It's been well overhead since the 9th and it looks like non-stop swells are stacking up for more epic surf." Photo: Edwin Morales

"Coincidentally, the whole stretch of Minnesota coastline on Lake Superior has always been referred to as The North Shore, long before surfers started showing up here 10 years ago," explained photographer Bob Tema. "Conditions like these only happen about eight to 10 times during the winter. When a big low pressure system rides just south of the lake, northeasterly winds drive swell towards the western end near Duluth, Minnesota. The only thing you have to be wary of is ice." Photo: Bob Tema

"There were a few at Ours this day," photog Billy Morris recalled of Monday's solid swell. "The southerly winds kicked in hard about 7:00am but with east in the swell it was more offshore. There were some really good ones mid-morning as the tide was dropping out. Unfortunately, the boys (Mark Mathews and Sam McIntosh) had ski trouble and didn't get there until 1:30pm. They missed it, really, as the wind went ballistic and swung a bit more to the east." Photo: Billy Morris

"It was so f++king perfect this morning, but it would have been a near impossible paddle-out," says SC-based photog Ryan Craig. "It was probably 20-foot beachbreak at least, considering four tow teams were out at the reef. The bar was fully defined and not shifty at all. Every set would bowl right on this stretch of beach. Man, how I wish we had a ski." Photo: Ryan Craig

A large-scale NW swell has been pounding Hawaii over the past few days -- and also sending flawless surf to the Banzai Pipeline. Bruce Irons and countless other competitors in the Volcom Pipe Pro were claiming Tuesday was perfect. No argument from us. Photo: Matt Kurvin

After last week's XXL surf subsided, a new groomed, yet powerful WNW swell kicked off Da Hui Backdoor Shootout. Some of the world's best Pipe surfers relished in the near-flawless conditions throughout the opening rounds. Here's a lonesome gem that slipped through the cracks. Photo: Hank