Credit where it's due. Not only has Laird been the butt of many jokes with his uber-macho persona, but here at Swellnet we've also doubted the viability of Virtual Reality as a medium. The 360° business has never seemed to work for surfing: too hard to watch, too unreal, in the literal sense. It'll never catch on, we stated with utmost certainty.

But lo, we're singing a different tune after watching this clip of Laird at Chicama. Slicing down the line, Laird looks like he's riding a hoverboard from Back To The Future, yet the best thing is the setting: look back at the breaking wave, scroll around and follow the line of swell sweeping into the bay. You can't quite smell the empanadas, but it gives a fantastic sense of involvement. Well, maybe not 'fantastic' but much improved over past efforts.

Make up your own mind at the play button.