Mick Fanning loves his local

[embed width=690]https://www.vimeo.com/153456545[/embed]

I often wonder how professional athletes ended up being the best of the best. Sure it has to be a combination of things, like athletic ability, drive, dedicated parents, equipment, coaches, genetics and much more. Every professional athlete has a mix of elements that combined help them along the path to greatness. In surfing, one of these key elements is waves. If you have only a few of the other elements but you have consistent good waves at your door step, you're going to be a step ahead of the guys that grew up next to lake placid. Remember that there are the aliens who grew up far away from good golf courses, running tracks or good waves but still ended up winning world titles and entering the hall of fame.

What i'm getting at is snapper rocks plays a small part in why Mick, Joel, Dingo and the cooly kids surf so damn good. Generally the Gold Coast in general has a high level of surfing talent that to some degree is thanks to the waves that have helped influence an industry and a hub for surfing. Watching Mick at one with this wave is like watching Roger Federer play tennis, he's in his back yard, like Rodger is at home on the tennis court. Their dedication and skill have made them aliens to us normals who look on in awe of their natural precision that looks so easy, but is far from it.

Would you notice Mick Fanning throwing buckets and getting barrelled? Mick surfs the DHD Ducks Nuts that's been tuned in waves, not only on the Gold Coast but around the world.