Great waves. Crazy surfing. Big crowds. Sunny skies. And just the right amount of fun after dark. The 2018 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast will be one to remember.

So, what exactly went down?

The event marked the changing of the guard. It was Mick Fanning’s last event competing at home on the Gold Coast. The crowd turned up and went hard for him every heat, but Mick eventually lost in Round 4 — thanks to the WSL’s new rule of eliminating the third place surfer in that heat.

Other surprises? How about Griffin Colapinto thrashing his way to the semifinals. The 19-year-old Californian even dropped a perfect 10 at Kirra. His future is oh so shiny.

And you can’t talk about the 2018 Quik Pro without talking about Mikey Wright. He only made it to Round 4, but he took out some big scalps along the way. Namely, John John Florence and Gabriel Medina — the two best young surfers in the world. Mikey is currenlty ranked 1st on the QS and could very well be on the CT full-time next year. Cross your fingers.

Lastly, let’s talk Julian Wilson. He separated his shoulder while mountain biking in January. At the Quik Pro, he fought through a world of pain — even crying at times — and won the final in some heavy surf. What a day it was.

And what an event.