Bets have no doubt been made and bragging rights are up for grabs in regards to who landed the biggest wave in Australasian waters over the past year.

Surfing Life’s Oakley Big Wave Awards are on tonight in Sydney with this first pic of Ryan Hipwood (taken by Shannon Stent at "The Right") being a finalist in the "Biggest slab" contest and the next pic of Tyler Hollmer-Cross (by Andrew Chisolm) at Shipsterns, a finalist in the "Biggest wave". Good luck with that!

Back in our real world, today's conditions are better than yesterday but not as good as Sunday. I know this doesn't help much but it's all I could think of.

Onshores are still smashing the coast with a 3-4ft easterly swell still making its presence felt.

The Swellnet forecast isn't too flash either with the swell slowly dropping and the wind still blowing.

There might be some morning offshores but don't hold your breath! It is summer, even though you wouldn't know it.

The banks could be alright with a bit of tide, with a rip at the Alley (rights) and a few banks up the beach where (shock -horror) I surfed on Monday morning on another good right suck.

These pics were taken at the Alley this morning and there weren't really any other surfers on the entire beach. The water was warm but full of weed, flotsam and all sorts of stuff!

I went into Rose Bay yesterday to shoot the Mingrams Gay Gondeliers who got to paddle with Gerry Lopez - it almost made me take up the sport but I just resisted.

He is true Hawaiian royalty and he asked me how the Alley suck was (I made that up). I did watch him surf Shoes once - it wasn't pretty!

It's almost Quiky Pro time with Fanning fit and ready to go.

The man known as “White Lightning” showed his extended break was just the tonic dusting off any rust with the day’s highest score of 9.5 while competing for Kirra Surfriders Club during a recent boardriders' event on the Gold Coast. A stellar field also included newly-crowned Pipe Masters champion Kieren Perrow, Joel Parkinson, Owen Wright, Adam Melling and Mark Occhilupo.

It starts on Februay 25 and they are hoping the Snapper banks get their act together because at the moment it's split in two.

Till next week.