A few months ago Swellnet ran a story on Quiksilver's first surf store in Burma. The commentary following that article centred on whether Burma actually had waves or not. People who'd visited the once-closed country argued passionately either way.

You already know what happened, but here are the photos to relive it. And what an amazing gallery of photos they are!

The swell has hit and the stage is set at Pipeline. These photos were taken just a few hours ago as the world title-deciding swell was making landfall in Hawaii.

“Parko is still checking with his wife.” It was an innocent email from Taylor Steele but it brought a wry smile to the cube monkeys at Swellnet. The contrast was stark: pro surfing's jetsetting elite, who fly to exotic locales on a moments notice...but only after the family matriarch gives the OK.

Some of the typhoons on the east stayed quite a way offshore and provided clean groundswell. The strange weather pattern was a boon for surfers this year, offering plentiful waves on the south, east and north coasts.

The second day of competition is done and the world title still hasn't been decided. The pointy end of the contest just got pointier! Momentum swung toward Slater today when he won his Round 4 heat, thereby jumping to the Quarters, while ol' Mick lost his Round 4 heat and now draws deadly C.J Hobgood in Round 5

Somewhere on a lttle-trodden stretch of the east coast photographer Jordan Barta and surfers Josh Ku and Troy Van Vliet try to make sense of a triple-sucking, backless beast of a wave.

After a quiet word with Kelly Slater the name Bocas del Toro - Spanish for the mouth of the bull - was thrown about. So, fresh after escaping the horns of the bull in Pamplona, Mick Fanning ran straight into its mouth.