According to the author Jock Serong, in an interview with Bainy it’s impossible not to be struck by his humility, his matter-of-factness about the extraordinary life he’s lived. He seems as surprised as you are that things worked out so well. From a factory job chopping timber, to shop grom and skateboard whiz to surfing world title contender, and on to global roles with pioneering surf brand O'Neill…Rob Bain has seen and done things most of us can only dream of.

It’s tempting to say he’s been lucky. Or outrageously talented. But that would be to overlook his most striking characteristic – a straightforward determination to get the best out of everything life throws at him. Because life has thrown Bainy some life-threatening, soul-destroying shockers. He gets up, he dusts himself off, and he starts again – as likeable as the Road Runner, yet as indestructible as the Coyote.

As life stories go, this one is more instructive for us in the surf industry than a thousand positive thinking podcasts. So it’s worth asking – just what makes Rob Bain tick?

According to reports at Hawaii News Now and Stab Magazine the WSL’s Hawaiian leg is in jeopardy, thanks to a stalemate with local authorities over permits for north shore events. It had been widely reported that the WSL would look to move the Pipe Masters from December to January. However, the WSL somehow missed the deadline for permit applications with local authorities, meaning in effect, the Pipe Masters was potentially off. New WSL CEO Sophie Goldschmidt flew to Honolulu on an urgent mission to ask for special treatment, telling local media the WSL had been treated unfairly. The episode looms as a test of the local authorities’ patience and courtesy, as well as an early barometer of Ms Goldschmidt’s fortunes at the helm of the WSL.