When contest founder Peter Dunn first found the bone of a whale on the Iso’s Reef many years ago, he had no idea that it would become part of West Australia’s surfing folklore. Many years later that bone has become the focal point of the Whalebone Classic for longboard surfing as the contest enters its 13th year.

The relationship that has developed since Dunn first found the bone and the spirit of the whale it came from looks set to continue as surf forecasters predict a big groundswell from the main fetch in the South Indian Ocean with waves throughout the weekend.