So who stayed up all night? I know we sure did, and if you want the blow by blow report scroll down and feast on every wave. So Pipe delivered an epic swell, a world title, a triple crown and a Pipe master, but it also gave us a fair dose of the usual judging controversy. So was Mick’s wave on the buzzer really a 9.7?

His heat against CJ was a total car crash, just for pure fitness Mick deserved that last wave to get through having taken so many poundings. But in reality he surfed a terrible nervous heat and was fortunate to scrape through. Then there was Yadin, you have to feel for Yadin, he surfed what was in the conditions a nigh on perfect heat, Mick got a solid start, but Yadin came back with two keepers, one a very solid 9 point ride. Then on the buzzer Mick got that wave. Was it a 9.7? Well as Kelly diplomatically said it’s a little different when you’re watching online compared to at the beach, but to me it didn’t look like it was quite the score he needed, although bigger not as gnarly as Yadin’s 9.3. But he got it, and won the title, did he deserve that title, 100%, love or hate Mick’s surfing he has been consistent and ruthless through out the year and a deserving world champ based on the fact that surf contests are about winning heats not based on a single manoeuvre. So there can be no argument there what so ever, Mick is world champ and deservedly so. The rest of the comp was a foregone conclusion, the two best guys at Pipe made it to the final, and just for now the master edged out the Pipe apprentice, watch the vid for the blow by blow commentary and decide for yourself.