While there are a million and one rumours about changes to the WSL and all of the respective tours, here’s the most simple way to possibly improve things, save money, and ensure epic waves – apply minds to the waiting periods. 

It just seems such an incredible shame to have such epic waves like Snapper and Fiji or wherever the best surfers and best waves congregate, and not get them on one of the swells of the year.

If the WSL has chosen some of the best waves in the world, should the WSL then be obliged to do those waves and the sport justice by somehow coordinating their events with epic swells? We've seen how good it can be when it all comes together. Here's an example … the semi-final between Kelly and John John from the 2014 Billabong Pro Tahiti. And further down the page the iconic Rip Curl Search event in Mexico. 

Options should be to choose a primary swell season for a break, and then put that event on a longer holding period. As it comes closer to the swell, pull the trigger and call the event on. Surfers jet in and meet the swell head-on and everyone – surfers, spectators, online viewers and sponsors – will be stoked with the proceedings. 

The common criticism of this is that the logistics are just too vast to comprehend, that there is just too much to set up to be able to pull this off. 

The common argument to this criticism is that the logistics must then change. Pare the whole juggernaut down. It is clear as day that some of the WSL set-ups are way bigger than necessary, and the beach set-ups can surely be minimised. 

Much of the work at a WSL event is done behind the scenes, and much of the prep work and build-up is actually done from the WSL HQ. Perhaps a slight trimming of on-site staff to the bare minimum would help to alleviate some of the logjams that occur when there is high pressure on production and broadcast. No need to adopt a skeletal mind set, just a slight trim. 

With the great minds that work on swell forecasting these days, the science has improved in leaps and bounds, and the swell forecasting tools are pretty close to exact these days. If you want to know what the waves are going to be like for an event you just need to look at any of the top surf forecasting sites and read it in the simple, user-friendly language that they apply. It’s just a weird thing, almost a contradiction of sorts, to read a forecast of a WCT event at a prime venue that says something along the lines of ‘unfortunately that’s the best we can expect for the waiting period…’ or words similar.   

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Can it all be done? Can the WSL make the sea change necessary to improve the hit ratio of best surfers meeting best waves? They have done it already with the Big Wave Tour, and they have 72 hours notice, arrive, and surf the biggest waves in the world for their events over and again.

The big wave events might be only one day, therefore so much easier logistically than a massive Men and Women’s CT event. So cut the numbers of contestants. Halve them. Top 16 has a nice ring to it.

Thing is, there are massive changes afoot. We’re all waiting for something to happen, for a penny to drop or for the walls to come tumbling down. Maybe some of these ideas are already in the system. Maybe someone accidentally leaked some info to us… and then again, maybe not.