This battle between South America’s and Western Australia’s most successful ever surfers raged over two years. There was a lot on the line in this final, the year before the two had met in the semi finals in an even more contentious heat which Burrow narrowly won.
Burrow then went on to lose the final closely to Kelly Slater, so he was desperate for the win and De Souza was desperate for revenge. It wasn’t pretty and wasn’t the highest scoring heat of all time, but it was fought tooth and nail.