On March 11th the Quiksilver Pro kicked off the World Surfing League for 2018 and, like a gun on the athletics track, the race for titles, global recognition and requalification began. I was tuned in, excited to see the new faces, some of which I knew and some of which I didn’t. I sat watching, and as the conditions deteriorated on that first morning I found myself in a situation that fans and competitors share when the waves lose their energy: a feeling of deep-seated frustration. It was heightened more than usual, however; instead of just preoccupying myself in between long-awaited sets or clicking the record button and switching off, I was muttering tribal chants and praying to the ocean gods for meaningful waves; I was desperate. When the conditions improved and my tiki torch ceremony ended I was left wondering what had caused my pang of emotional turmoil. I then realised that ever since Hawaii the only surfing I had ingested was via the medium of the internet.

In that time I’d been watching these short videos where a Noa Deane or Mikey Wright type surfer would every few seconds be doing something that made you want to throw your laptop out the window screaming ‘IT MUST BE PHOTOSHOPPED!’ Internet clips are one of the biggest recent advancements in the surfing industry; it’s carved out a path for the surfer who doesn’t want to pull on a jersey and compete against a Medina-type who backhand snaps a two-foot wave 362 times before proceeding to claim the shit out of it like he’s just invented the wheel or electricity. The internet provides a platform that encourages prolific surfing, with every clip pushing the boundaries of the last.

When you’re watching a video, there aren’t any gaps where the surfer is waiting for waves, or where conditions are average; you start to expect something amazing every time their feet hit the board. This idea is influencing the way the WSL is viewed; we all expect a hell of a lot more than we did in 2005. There have been voices swearing off the tour, believing it to have seen its peak (the Kelly/Andy rivalry – what a time to be alive). Will the tour be around in 20 years? Or will the surfing world exist in a surfer/cinematographer relationship where we only view the sport in its edited form?

These questions spun around my head before I finally hit some all-important narcissism: Did I want to keep watching the tour? Would I still be watching in 20 years? I think the answer is yes, even though I don’t know what competitive surfing in 20 years will look like. (Robots? Hoverboards? Illegal to claim a one-foot wave?) The competitive spirit and uncertainty of world-class surfing events will always (hopefully) be interesting. Also, the best surfer in the world, John John, is not only on tour but also putting out video parts that make your insides warm and fuzzy. He and others are demonstrating that for the future it doesn’t have to be a choice between competitions or video parts; it can be both. The man who handed John John a first-round loss in the Gold Coast event, wildcard Mikey Wright, was a perfectly timed breath of fresh air. I’ve watched all the footage Mikey has put out in the last couple of years and watching him in a jersey got me just as excited. I think as fans we would be losing a big part of the human aspect of surfing if the tour wasn’t around. Watching Mikey take down John John and then Medina in the Gold Coast hammered that home. A surfer who last year didn’t qualify for the tour but in this event took down the number one and two in the world respectively in front of an excited crowd filled with family and friends. There was so much emotion on the beach as he came in from each victorious heat.

There were moments with that same human touch last year: Owen Wright’s return from injury to win the first event of the year, Josh Kerr and Bede Durbidge’s retirements, Stu Kennedy turning up to an event injured and getting in the water so that he could receive the paycheck he and his family needed. This is the personal side of the sport, and it’s what you get when you have the same group of athletes moving in unison from location to location. As fans, we get to know them better and share their stories. You don’t get these insights when you’re watching a short mind-blowing clip on your screen.

Like many people I am looking forward to watching the Wave Pool event later in the year; to me, this will bring a big insight into what the future of surfing looks like. Grouping a handful of the best surfers in the world and giving them a consistent canvas to shred on can’t be a bad thing. I’m not just excited for the wave pool though; I’m excited about all the events. The tour gives fans the ability to get to know its competitors better and gain further insight into the sport. If this continues, for me, the tour will always be ingrained in the sport.