Check out these rad videos of Nate Yeomans and Davies.

The big Saffa dropped precipitously in 2011 from No. 3 to No. 8. Being sidelined by a mid-year back injury probably didn’t help him much, and he’s certainly no longer the much-hyped new kid on the block. Instead, Smith has become part of the bedrock of modern surfing. Winning his second consecutive Billabong Pro at Jeffreys Bay proved he has the consistency to become a fixture on Tour, and his combos in Lost Atlas demonstrated that his other foot is planted firmly in progressive, innovative ripping. Odds are, he will rise again.

In a year strangely void of movies featuring the never-ending barrels of the Indian Ocean (think Desert Point) we saw an abundance of barrels of consequence. All five nominees this year were of the heavy variety, but Alex Gray’s monster from Teahupoo Uncut was in the category of “extra-heavy.”

Damn… Jay Davies getting some sick barrels in this 2 minute clip.

Jay Davies, well and truly back from ankle injury, has been in Mexico, aka, the new Bali. And he’s been busy. Imagine having that lineup to yourself.

OAM team rider Mitch has a new blog called Fibergrass. Check it out here >> http://fibergrass.tumblr.com/

The ASP announced that Jordy Smith plans to be back in action at the Quiksilver Pro France. “After several weeks of rehab and sitting out for two events, I’m excited for my return to competition in France,” said. “The ribs are still a bit sore when I’m paddling, but it’s time for me to be back and hopefully we have good waves for the event here in France.” After suffering a rib injury at the Billabong Pro Tahiti at the end of August he’s been stationed in Newport Beach with his doctor. We caught up with both of them right before Smith jumped on a French-bound flight, here’s where he’s at in the recovery process.

LA hellman injured at North Shore Outer Reef (Warning: video contains graphic images)

Last week AU distributor Ross McInnes was On A Mission in Fiji!