2009: Will forever be remembered for Joel Parkinson’s win, his third from four that season, which signalled his “unstoppable” run to a world title that, ultimately, he didn’t win. Joel Parkinson, Dane Reynolds, Michel Bourez and others score perfect 10’s on one of the most perfect competition days seen at Supers courtesy of a heavy build-up of sand in the car park section. Wildcard Sean Holmes gave the locals something to shout about all the way to quarters, while the Clash of the Icons saw legends Mark Occhilupo and Tom Curren tied at one heat victory each.
 

2008: Slater is back to his brilliant best, overcoming reigning World Champion Mick Fanning in difficult onshore conditions in the final to become the only surfer to have his name etched on the perpetual trophy four times. The opening rounds were held in epic surf with Taylor Knox (USA) earning the $10 000 WTA Nixon watch for the highest heat total – an incredible 19.70 out of 20. For the first time since the Billabong Pro became an ASP World Tour rated event in 1996 the quarter-finals are contested by the top eight seeds.
 

2007: Happily, six South Africans qualify for Round 3 while Taj Burrow signals his intentions by posting a perfect 10 for four tubes on one wave in Round 2. Supers lays dormant until the second last day of the waiting period. In glassy three-to-five foot conditions, Burrow is on fire, recording 16 or more points in four successive heats, turning the tables on eventual World Champion Mick Fanning in the semis and leaving an uncharacteristically off-form Kelly Slater comboe’d in the final.
 

2006: A slow start to the 2006 event with numerous lay-days culminating in an epic finale when Mick Fanning and fellow Aussie Taj Burrow go head-to-head in excellent four-to-six foot surf late on the final day. While Fanning secured his second Billabong Pro J-Bay title by less than a point in a phenomenal display of high performance surfing, the freakishly talented Jordy Smith heralded his arrival on the world stage by winning a VZ wildcard and then blasting his way past the world’s best surfers into third place, matching the highest finish by a South African since 1996.
 

2005: The 20th edition produces one of the greatest finals in pro-surfing history. With precious seconds ticking away, Slater’s intuition sees him follow a pod of dolphins to the tip of the Supertubes line-up and he is presented with a ‘miracle’ in the form of a six-foot-plus set wave. The Floridian unleashes an awesome repertoire of manoeuvres as rival Andy Irons watches from the beach. The announcers call out the judge’s decision after the final siren has sounded, Slater has defeated Andy by 0.03! The general consensus is, well, it was close … Slater goes on to win his historic seventh world title.
 

2004: Reigning World Champ Andy Irons overcomes a personal hoodoo at J-Bay, advancing past round three for the first time in four years when he finally gets the better of local wildcard and J-Bay nemisis Sean Holmes. With the monkey off his back, Andy goes on to win the final against Aussie goofy-foot Nathan Hedge, crowning his spectacular victory with a perfect 10-point ride in the decider.
 

2003: Despite an eyebrow-raising last-place finish in his opening heat behind Neco Padaratz and Luke Stedman, Kelly Slater regroups in repercharge round 2 to absolutely dominate proceedings. He not only wins the Billabong Pro, but redefines performance surfing at J-Bay. He scores better than two nine-point rides in every encounter bar one and does it wearing a rare, custom-made all-white wetsuit. Vintage stuff.

 

2002: Mick Fanning’s rampage on the final day peaked in classic, sunny five-to-six foot J-Bay with a frontside reverse that, for the period, is just awesome, helping him combo Aussie Mick Lowe. Taj Burrow’s momentum was blown in the quarters when he saw a ‘shark’, rode a wave into the rocks in fear and was then told by the announcers it was in fact, a whale. Or was it? Paulo Moura’s stray board is blown to sea by the offshore wind and is returned by an Oakley rep three days later who recovered it from fishermen in Port Elizabeth.
 

2001: When the events of September 11 tripped the world into uncertainty, five events on the 2001 ASP World Tour are cancelled and the Billabong Pro inadvertently becomes the year’s penultimate tournament. Jake Paterson’s second consecutive win places him among a dozen surfers in a most unusual world title ratings bottle-neck. CJ Hobgood won that battle, but Jake’s still the only surfer who can claim back-to-back J-Bay wins.