Vans World Cup Of Surfing: Days 2 & 3 Photos

All Photos: Corey Wilson

Mick, you should be concerned. In Kelly Slater’s first heat of the 2013 Triple Crown of Surfing, he dropped a 9.87 in the closing minutes. By going left. At Sunset Beach. And if there is anything that Slater is known for (besides, you know, those sparse world titles), it’s manipulating the ocean into giving him his way. A near perfect score for a stand-up barrel on a left at Sunset? Only the king. And so now, leading up to the world title deciding Pipeline Masters, it is clear that sea is favoring the man who hath not hair. And the beads of sweat that line Mick Fanning’s brow are no longer just from all that CrossFit. —Brendan Buckley

Kelly or Mick? Mick or Kelly? Click here to read a title race debate.