The world's finest storm chasers were already on red alert. There was something big moving toward Fiji.
Kelly Slater said it was a day that will never be forgotten. And we don't hear him saying it often.
On May 25 and 26, Tavarua's Cloudbreak roared to life, and the big wave surfing community gathered at the iconic left-hander to celebrate its glory.
"It was an honor to be in the presence of an ocean doing this. There is no better wave on this earth than Cloudbreak," said Slater, who caught one of the best waves of the session.
"I'm inspired and more excited than ever to see surfing where it's at! I'm calling at least one billion people on this earth should have witnessed what went down today. This stuff is like people going to the moon. By tomorrow people will say it didn't happen."
There were also a few scary moments. Makua Rothman suffered a horrendous wipeout at the hands of Cloudbreak, but named it the "wave of a lifetime."
Kohl Christensen, Laurie Towner, Luke Shepardson, Kai Garcia, Danilo Couto, and Ramon Navarro also tried their luck in what resembled the sequel of the infamous Code Red swell that hit Teahupoo on August 27, 2011.
"I don't have words to describe it. Kohl and I waited two hours for this wave. It was the best tow-in wave of my life. Dreams were made to come true - nothing and no one can stop you," expressed an ecstatic Navarro.
These fearless men rode waves and drove jet skis, got deeply barreled, and saved lives.