Justine Dupont at Aileens in Western Ireland (18s Swell)

The swell came courtesy of Hurricane Rafael, a fast moving system which shot a powerful beam of condensed swell in an arc around the Atlantic basin. The 21-year-old World Tour surfer travelled with the Billabong Adventure Division from her home in Lacanau, France to surf the big-wave spot.

In the over-subscribed and unquantifiable "best ever" category, this barrel has got to rank up there in pure heft with any tube ridden by a female surfer in Europe.

"That was an amazing day of surfing," Dupont said afterwards. "It was more than a session, it was a mission. From getting smashed paddling out to surfing that perfect beautiful wave, it was a day I’ll never forget."