Bede Durbidge has rocketed himself from underdog to ASP World Title contender in little over a year. At the start of the 2007 season, Durbidge was sponsorsless and in need of a break. Despite the setback, Bede rallied to claim the Billabong Pipeline Masters, the Vans Hawaiian Triple Crown of Surfing and finish ASP World No. 5. The Rudy-esque story of triumph over adversity won the hearts and minds of the surfing public and vaulted Bede Durbidge onto the international radar.

Last season, the "White Fijian" as he's affectionately known, put in another blockbuster career chasing nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater all the way through Europe before coming up short of his first ASP World Title. Not to be deterred, Durbidge rallied at the very next event, claiming the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro in Brazil (his third win on the elite ASP World Tour), and finished '08 out at ASP World No. 2.

Durbidge's penchant for laying down massive man-hacks and his arsenal of big aerials makes the big bloke from North Stradbroke island a threat in any-and-all conditions, and his competitive drive sees him as a very real contender for the ASP World Title in 2009. A regular blogger on ASPWorldTour.com, Durbidge is one of the rare surfers whose ability to articulate his phenomenal talent gives his swath of fans some insight into the mind of one of professional surfing's top athletes. With a heavy training regime under the tutelage of ASP World Masters Champ Gary "Kong" Elkerton well underway, look for Durbidge to come out guns blazing in 2009.