2007 Was The Year Two Surfing Superstars Planted Their Flags

Do you remember the 2007 Quiksilver and Roxy Pros? They had longer boards, longer boardshorts, wrap-around sunnies and even Matthew McConaughey. But more importantly, it was a watershed in the history of competitive surfing.

We've just released the first episode of The Vault, which means you can relive firing Snapper Rocks, and indulge in a celebration of surfing heritage.

At this event, 13 years ago, two of our biggest stars -- Mick Fanning and Carissa Moore -- in their own ways made declarations that would reverberate throughout their careers.

Mick won the event after a final with Bede Durbidge, which set him on a roll to win a World Title. It was the first of three. And Moore, now a four-time World Champion, barnstormed through the Roxy Pro trials all the way to the final of the main event.

On her way through, she knocked seven-time World Champion Layne Beachley and a host of other competitive titans. She was 14 in 2007. This was where the ball really got rolling for the phenomenon from Honolulu.

It was trademark Carissa, all smiles and good vibes masking an uncompromising competitive spirit.

While 2007 was not the fist year Fanning won in front of a home crowd on the Gold Coast, it did foreshadow what was then a whole new level of excellence. He went on to secure two more victories (alongside a smattering of other excellent results) in France and Santa Catarina.

By this stage, the surf world already knew "White Lightning" was a force to be reckoned with. But in 2007 he truly planted his flag and put names such as Kelly Slater, who was then in the midst of one of many hotstreaks, on notice.

This period was also a boom time for the surf industry, and the zenith of the hype around the "Super Bank", the amazing right hand point break created by a government sand pumping program which has facilitated the waves of thousands of surfers' lives.

Mick, Joel Parkinson and Dean Morrison were the "Cooly Kids" and the Gold Coast region had well and truly burst onto the scene as a major pole in the surf world.

Meanwhile, there may have been fewer airs, but the longer boards allowed drawn out, drivey turns, which today seem like a celebration of surfing fundamentals. It was bread and butter made beautiful.

So get ready to kick back and relive a pivotal moment in our sport's history.