If you were to identify professional surfing’s benchmarks, a few obvious data points stand out. Pipe showdowns always rank high. Barton Lynch in 1988, Kelly Slater’s win in 1995, which featured the famous Rob Machado high five. The last Andy Irons and Slater Final of 2006 was seismic, and Mick Fanning’s win in 2013 was emotional. Away from Pipe, it gets more difficult. Mexico’s Search event in 2006 is in the conversation due to the quality of the waves. There was 21-year-old Medina’s win against Kelly Slater in 2014 at Chopes, which saw the biggest and best swell run for a CT. Steph Gilmore’s 8th World Title at Trestles in 2022 is a contender for the history and emotion. In Europe, well, it has to be the Quik Pro in 2004, when defending champion Andy Irons met his younger brother Bruce in the first-ever all-Irons final on the world tour, in conditions both brothers called the best they’d seen at a French event; clean, perfect triple-overhead surf at Le Nord.…