PIPELINE, Oahu/Hawaii (Monday, February 2, 2015): JOHN JOHN FLORENCE has won his fourth Volcom Pipe Pro title in five years, defeating MASON HO (HAW), KELLY SLATER (USA), and SEBASTIAN ZIETZ (HAW) in highly technical, 6-to-8 foot Backdoor. Slater is the only surfer to have interrupted John’s streak, winning here last year. The Volcom Pipe Pro is a WSL QS3000 event and the first competitive appearance of all four finalists in the League’s 2015 season. Florence, 22, had the 35-minute Final in the bag within the first seven minutes, posting wave scores of 9.2 and 8.43 for the highest heat score of the entire event — 17.63 out of 20. Florence and Slater, 42, had been the pair to beat here from the outset, pushing each other round for round and flip-flopping on highest wave and heat scores along the way. A whipping 25mph side-offshore wind helped keep the Backdoor barrels and aerial opportunities open, but presented major challenges in the form of wave face chop. Ho drew first blood in the final with a beautiful barrel for 8.6 points, but his dreams fell apart the minute Florence hit his stride. Florence seemed to read the conditions and rising swell lines with ease, tapping into his lifetime of local knowledge to leave his challengers chasing him. By the end of the heat, Slater found himself in a rare combination situation, needing two much higher scores than any he was carrying to catch Florence. Zietz met a similar end. Ho found one last tube, but fell short of the win with a 7.3. “This-morning it was really fun, the wind was pretty clean and just really long, little barrels,” said Florence. “Then the wind picked up and started putting this chop in it and it made it really, really difficult out there. But it was so fun. It was just whoever was in the spot for the good double ups. “Getting two scores in the beginning of a heat that’s 35 minutes long, you sit for so long… like, oh my God, I’ve got 20 minutes here to just think about it (laughs)! “Going into the this year it’s going to be a fun one. I come in with a lot of confidence out of last year, knowing I can make the heats and do really good. I’m just going to go into this year thinking the same kind of thing and hopefully it comes down to the end of the year out here at Pipe. It would be awesome. That’s my dream come true – to win a world title out here at Pipe. I couldn’t ask for anything more.” Slater posted the only perfect 10 of the event in this-morning’s Quarter Final for a super long, deep and weaving barrel ride. It earned him the “Electric Perfect 10″ Award of the competition. He also won the inaugural Todd Chesser Hard Charger Sportsmanship Award, in honor of a much-loved North Shore big wave rider who passed away charging big waves on Feb. 13, 1997. “Todd was one of my great friends, we were all devastated by his passing,” said Slater. “What Todd meant to us was he exemplified a guy who was totally fit and driven to charge and go surf big waves all the time. He pushed all of us. Todd’s pretty much a part of our every day life still. We have a get together every Thanksgiving for him, there’s probably not a week that goes by that we somehow don’t have a conversation about Todd and it’s been 18 years since he passed away.” As members of the World Surf League’s (WSL) elite Top 34, Florence, Slater and Zietz now turn their attention to the start of the 2015 Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour that gets underway in Australia on February 28. The World Title will be decided in December back here at the Pipe Masters. For all the highlights from the Volcom Pipe Pro, check out VolcomPipePro.com/live RESULTS: 1st – John John Florence (HAW) 17.63 (9.2, 8.43) – $16,000 – 3000 QS ratings points 2nd – Mason Ho (HAW) 15.9 (8.6, 7.3) – $10,000 – 2250 QS ratings points 3rd – Kelly Slater (Florida, USA) 0.0 (6.7, 2.3) – $4,750 – 1680 QS ratings points 4th – Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 8.47 (7.0, 1.47) – $4,250 – 1580 QS ratings points Semi Finals: H1: JJ Florence (HAW) 13.4; S Zietz (HAW) 13.33; E Lau (HAW) 12.8; I Walsh (HAW) 7.63 H2: K Slater (USA) 8.76; M Ho (HAW); K Andino (USA) 2.6; M Ohno (JPN) 1.9 Quarter Finals: H1: S Zietz (HAW) 12.1; E Lau (HAW) 10.9; A Aranburu (ESP) 7.9; I Gouveia (BRA) H2: JJ Florence (HAW) 14.83; I Walsh (HAW) 13.2; K David (HAW) 4.47; M Bruneau (HAW) 4.1 H3: K Slater (USA) 17.33; K Andino (USA) 15.1; H Gaskell (HAW) 6.07; B Toth (PRI) 2.7 H4: M Ho (HAW) 8.6; M Ohno (JPN) 6.4; CJ Hobgood (USA) 5.97; K Jaquias (HAW) 5.73

PIPELINE, Oahu/Hawaii (Sunday, February 1, 2015): Freedom from having to prove a thing is 11-time WSL World Champion Kelly Slater’s (USA) ultimate weapon, proven with two pace-setting performances at the Volcom Pipe Pro today. In high quality but inconsistent 8-to-10 foot barrels, Slater put on a tube-riding clinic at Backdoor Pipe to post two of the three highest heat scores of the event in Rounds 3 and 4 – 16.2 points and 15.6 points respectively. The only surfer to surpass him was his nextdoor neighbor John John Florence (HAW), who topped the scores at 17.0 in Round 4.Slater, 42, is the defending Volcom Pipe Pro champion but also plays the role of inspiring a new generation of pro surfers – including Florence – that are here to try their hand against the ultimate surfer of their lifetime. While he may be light years removed in terms of career accomplishments and experience, Kelly is right on par with their youthful exuberance and excitement to surf the world’s “ultimate playground”: Pipeline. Slater advanced from his fourth round heat to the quarter finals today alongside 21-year-old Kaimana Jaquias (HAW) – the son of one of Kelly’s good friends and original touring peers, Kaipo Jaquias. “It’s cool to surf with Kaimana, I surfed against his dad 20-plus years ago, so to now be surfing against his kid is pretty cool,” said Slater. Kelly first stepped foot on the sands of Pipeline at the age of 14 and says he’s as excited by the place now as he was on that day. “This is the ultimate playground for me. There’s nothing else to me that’s nearly as fun as my job. I just love it. I sit on the beach and imagine what I’m going to do when I get out there and I get stoked when I see someone get a great wave. And it’s getting more and more like that as I get older and less attached to the results.” Twenty-two year-old Florence is at the other end of the spectrum and career line. Touted as one of surfing’s greatest natural talents, proving himself is precisely what he’s here for. Along with their property fence-line, Florence also shares Slater’s passion for Pipe and source of momentum for the year. Just weeks ago they both ended the 2014 season here watching Brazil’s Gabriel Medina run away with the world title. “I got a lot of confidence out of the end of last year and Gabe winning the title,” said Florence. “It really opened my eyes, like, oh my gosh, I want to do that now! It’s really pushing all of us. “Going into 2015, I’m excited, and it’s great to start the year here at home in great waves. This event helps get momentum to head into the season.” Other top performers today included Ezekiel Lau (HAW), Sebastian Zietz (HAW), CJ Hobgood (USA), Mikey Bruneau (HAW), Masatoshi Ohno (JPN), and Hank Gaskell (HAW). Sixteen surfers remain in contention for the Volcom Pipe Pro title at this time, and organizers anticipate the final heats being held tomorrow morning. The call will be made at 7am. (See Quarter Final heat draw below.) Head to the official 2015 Volcom Pipe Pro website www.VolcomPipePro.com/live to watch LIVE. Quarter Finals Draw: H1: E Lau (HAW), A Aranburu (ESP), S Zietz (HAW), I Gouveia (BRA) H2: M Bruneau (HAW), K David (HAW), JJ Florence (HAW), I Walsh (HAW) H3: K Slater (USA), B Toth (PRI), H Gaskell (HAW), K Andino (USA) H4: M Ohno (JPN), K Jaquias (HAW), CJ Hobgood (USA), M Ho (HAW) RESULTS: Shown in order of 1st through 4th; 1st and 2nd advance Round 4: H1: E Lau (HAW) 13.77; K David (HAW) 6.57; S Murakami (JPN) 3.67; G Gillette (HAW) 3.56 ~ H2: S Zietz (HAW) 12.26; I Walsh (HAW) 12.1; H Bettero (BRA) 2.83; N Florence (HAW) 1.96 ~ H3: M Bruneau (HAW) 12.57; A Aranburu (ESP) 6.5; J O’Brien (Haw) 6.2; S Moniz (HAW) 4.37 ~ H4: JJ Florence (HAW); I Gouveia (BRA) 10.86; NM McGonagle (CRI) 10.43; D Payne (HAW) 3.36 ~ H5: K Slater (USA) 15.6; K Jaquias (HAW); J Mendes (BRA) 5.54; B Kemper (HAW) 4.44 ~ H6: H Gaskell (HAW) 9.0; M Ho (HAW) 5.74; W Dantas (BRA) 4.56; D Staples (ZAF) 3.84 ~ H7: M Ohno (JPN) 8.83; B Toth (PRI) 8.27; B Stack (USA) 8.13; M Padaca (HAW) 7.67 ~ H8: CJ Hobgood (USA) 11.1; K Andino (USA) 10.33; C Ward (USA) 8.0; L Silveira (BRA) 5.8 Round 3: H1: K David (HAW) 7.34; S Zietz (HAW) 7.07; T Hendrickson (HAW) 4.1; C Arambide (USA) 4.03 ~ H2: E Lau (HAW) 12.0; I Walsh (HAW) 10.83; E Valiere (HAW) 9.2; L Fioravanti (ITA) 1.37 ~ H3: H Bettero (BRZ) 12.33; G Gillette (HAW) 10.67; C Munoz (CRI) 3.7; M Coleborn (AUS) 3.5 ~ H4: N Florence (HAW) 14.86; S Murakami (JPN) 12.04; F Patacchia (HAW) 7.6; J DaSilva (BRA) 3.14 ~ H5: M Bruneau (HAW) 15.0; D Payne (HAW) 14.63; M Giorgi (URY) 13.4; G Larsen (HAW) 3.1 ~ H6: J O’Brien (HAW) 14.4; I Gouveia (BRA) 12.8; N Yeomans (USA) 11.97; J Duru (FRA) 11.0 ~ H7: NM McGonagle (CRI) 12.4; A Aranburu (ESP) 10.93; O Eleogram (HAW) 10.17; M Tudela (PER) 6.17 ~ H8: JJ Florence (HAW) 11.83; S Monoz (HAW) 10.84; B Irons (HAW) 9.8; Y Dora (BRA) 3.57 ~ H9: K Slater (USA) 16.2; D Staples (ZAF) 8.93; K Alexander (HAW) 6.33; P Coffin (USA) 6.1 ~ H10: B Kemper (HAW) 13.73; H Gaskell (HAW) 10.74; M Rodrigues (BRA) 6.5; N Von Rupp (PRT) 3.6 ~ H11: W Dantas (BRA) 13.6; K Jaquias (HAW) 10.93; C Coffin (USA) 10.9; L Davis (USA) 8.93 ~ H12: M Ho (HAW) 13.87; J Mendes (BRA) 7.73; E Geiselman (USA) 6.2; L Felipe (BRA) 2.73 ~ H13: B Stack (USA) 13.96; CJ Hobgood (USA) 10.9; D Silva (BRA) 7.16; L Shepardson (HAW) 6.6 ~ H14: B Toth (PRI) 9.66; L Silveira (BRA) 7.67; C Martin (GLP) 6.74; G Satt (CHL) 3.23 ~ H15: C Ward (USA) 12.8; M Padaca (HAW) 9.33; A Smith (HAW) 8.74; L Mesinas (PER) 5.36 ~ H16: K Andino (USA) 13.83; M Ohno (JPN) 6.57; K Jabour (HAW) 4.9; D Fuller (HAW) 2.96

The first light at Pipeline for Day 2 of the 2015 Volcom Pipe Pro revealed a new 6-8+ foot swell which arrived fresh off of yesterday’s Lei Day. The winds were now cooperating, competitors were psyching to get in the water, so just like that, the event was called ON! The day began with Heat 5 of the Round of 96, and after 9 hours of exciting competition, the day ended strong with Heat 7 of the Round of 64. Picking up right where we left off from Day 1 of competition, Mother Nature was by our side keeping the bad winds at bay and providing enough Pipe and Backdoor barrels to keep things interesting! Maui’s Ian Walsh, a big wave specialist, took advantage of the pumping surf and managed to get things started with a crazy 9.5 ride. Meanwhile, Leo Fioravanti had a brutal wipeout and left the beach in an ambulance with a suspected back injury. We will update everyone on his status as the details are released, but our thoughts are with him and we wish him a speedy recovery. As the morning turned to afternoon, the swell improved tremendously. Local boys Nathan Florence and Mikey Bruneau took things to another level and got some of the most spectacular tube rides of the day. Mikey Brunea finished off with the highest total heat score of the event with a 15 point ride. Volcom Japan’s Shun Murakami rolled into a nuts-o Pipe wave and had the whole Volcom house shouting on their feet. Other standouts of the day included Ian Gouveia, Jamie O’Brien, Dusty Payne, Kiron Jabour and Evan Geiselman. Day 2 of the 2015 Volcom Pipe Pro is in the books and you won’t want to miss a minute of Day 3 as the first two heats of the day see some talented up-and-comers, in addition to Pipe masters. Heat 8 will feature John John Florence, Bruce Irons, Yago Dora, and Seth Moniz, then straight into Heat 9 with Kelly Slater, Parker Coffin, Dale Staples, and Kamalei Alexander. Tomorrow’s forecast sees potential for some pumping surf, and if we’re lucky, we’ll all have the chance to see epic, super bowls! Surfline.com, the official forecaster of the 2015 Volcom Pipe Pro, is calling for 8-12’ occasional 15’ faces for Sunday morning with both Pipe and Backdoor working, and a slow easing trend through the day. The weather report calls for light East-ENE wind in the early morning, becoming moderate for the day from the ENE-NE, with partly cloudy skies. The contest has plenty of run potential, so be sure to check back for the official call, tomorrow morning at 7:30am HST right here on VolcomPipePro.com!

After a day of mostly epic conditions yesterday for the 2015 Volcom Pipe Pro, stormy wind conditions and a drop in wave height have led to less-than-contestable surf for Day 2 here at the Banzai Pipeline. Contest officials have called the first “Lei Day" of the event and the next call will be made tomorrow morning at 7:30am HST. In the meantime, WATCH THIS EXCLUSIVE VIDEO of Volcom team rider and Pipe Pro competitor Mitch Coleborn getting absolutely barreled out of his mind in Fiji!