After three flawless days of surf at Pipeline, the Volcom Pipe Pro, a World Surf League (WSL) Men’s Qualifying Series (QS) 5,000, saw Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) win in powerful and challenging conditions on the fourth and final day to join the list of illustrious winners and take home his very first Pipeline victory. The Brazilian representation was strong as Dantas went against Joao Chianca (BRA) and Yago Dora (BRA) in the Final, who earned runner up and third place respectively, and Hawaiian, Seth Moniz (HAW).
Dantas’ road to glory began back in 2014 when he earned runner up to 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) and became fixated on a win at the world-famous wave. The Brazilian has competed in the event nine times and has been traveling to the North Shore for over twenty years.
“I feel amazing, I feel tired at the same time, but I feel amazing,” said Dantas. “That’s my goal for many years, to win an event at Pipeline. This wave for me is a special wave in my life and it’s such a pleasure to be here and compete with the boys and get good barrels and get good turns and win an event here. It’s my goal for many years and I’m super stoked to start the year.”
The judges were loving Wiggolly Dantas’ backhand attack. – photo: Heff
It was his lethal backhand attack that earned him today’s win, as conditions turned from dreamy to difficult on Day 4. In the Final, he scored an excellent 8.00 (out of a possible 10) after throwing hammers for vertical backside snaps, making a statement to fellow finalists and judges that turns were going to dominate the heat.
In an attempt to redeem Pipeline’s reputation, Seth Moniz, the sole Hawaiian pulled into multiple barrels throughout the 35-minute Final but was only awarded a 2.67 and 2.50 despite his valiant efforts. He wove through double-up throaty tubes on his backhand and wrestled foam balls for long rides but was unable to complete them successfully and ultimately took fourth place out of the 144-man field.
“My strategy was to get barreled, even if there wasn’t that much potential. I wasn’t going to try and do turns and win this contest,” said Moniz. “I wanted to go and try to get barreled and go for the win and do it properly at Pipe. It’s bittersweet to me. I made the Finals so I’m happy about that, but I definitely was going for the win.
Yago Dora ramping out in the Semi Finals. – photo: Scott Sullivan
Yago Dora was a standout throughout the competition and instigated an air show on Day 3 after pulling an air reverse in Round 4 Heat 1. In today’s Final, he cracked a few beautiful turns on his forehand in an attempt to manufacture scores but settled for third place behind Joao Chianca, who displayed lightning-fast surfing.
Chianca scored an excellent 8.17 in the second Semifinal after free-falling into a Backdoor barrel and sticking the fins for a successful ride out. In the Final, he posted a 4.00 and 3.83 for the runner up postition to demonstrate his versatility and adaptability at Pipeline.
Joao found this short Backdoor wedge for a solid score to advance into the finals. – photo: Scott Sullivan
Billy Kemper (HAW) stood alongside finalists today as he received his own prestigious honor, the Hard Charger Award in memory of Todd Chesser, for his commitment to pushing himself over the ledge and charging throughout the entire event. Kemper’s performance throughout the Volcom Pipe Pro was reminiscent of Chesser’s, as he powered through multiple rounds and ended up with the second-highest single wave score of the event, a near-perfect 9.00 on Day 3.
The Volcom Pipe Pro is known as one of the most community-oriented events of the year, with its Hawaii Giveback Program donating over $500,000 to non-profits including the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii and the Live Like Sion Foundation. Volcom’s CMO, Ryan Immegart, awarded two checks in the amount of $45,000 to both organizations, both of which are close to heart for Volcom.
The Finalists, Billy Kemper accepting the Todd Chesser ‘Hard Charger’ Award, Sion Milosky Foundation & Boys and Girls Club Hawaii – photos: Keoki
One of the most choice events on the Men’s QS circuit, the Volcom Pipe Pro is known for its world-class competitors and all-time waves, thanks to its peak-season holding window from January 29 – February 10. Dantas now joins the list of notorious names who have received the warrior trophy, including Slater, two-time World Champion John John Florence (HAW), and Pipeline mavens Jack Robinson (AUS) and Jamie O’Brien (HAW).
Soli Bailey, Noa Deane, Finn Mcgill, Evan Geiselman & Cristobal de Col – photos: Heff
The Volcom Pipe Pro was all systems go today as Day 3 pumped more beautiful barrels into the lineup for the World Surf League (WSL) Men’s Qualifying Series (QS) 5,000 event. Rounds 3 and 4 were completed today with athlete standouts including Conner Coffin (USA), who scored the first perfect 10 of the event, Billy Kemper (HAW), who was the first to crack into the 9-point range on the scoreboard, defending event winner Jack Robinson (HAW) and 2017 Volcom Pipe Pro winner Soli Bailey (AUS).
With machine-like consistency, Pipeline seemed to take on the description as Eighth Wonder in the World. Both Backdoor and Pipe continued to build and produce waves in the eight-to-ten-foot-plus range with winds staying uncharacteristically light and offshore, all day.
Coffin ended the day with fireworks as he posted a perfect 10 for unbelievable tube riding on his backhand that saw him power through a critical drop and technical Pipe barrel. His impressive performance continued as he wove through a Backdoor gem for a 7.17 to maintain the margin throughout the 25-minute heat.
Fellow advancing athlete, Joh Azuchi (JPN) scored the second-best result of the heat, an 8.33 for a Backdoor barrel that he narrowly escaped. He and Coffin eliminated former Championship Tour (CT) surfer, Sebastian Zietz (HAW) and Sunset Open finalist Koa Smith (HAW) en route to Round 5.
It keeps getting better for North Shore’s Kemper, as he came into the 2020 Volcom Pipe Pro already holding a win from the recent Sunset Open and scoring the wave of his life at Pe‘ahi on Maui a few days prior. Riding a high, Kemper opened Round 4 Heat 10 with a near-perfect 9.00 for an incredibly long, deep Backdoor barrel that saw him pump through multiple sections. A fierce competitor, Kemper has made his intentions known; he wants to win it all.
“At this point, it’s just trying to win everything I can,” said Kemper. “I truly am addicted to that feeling, that adrenaline of overcoming adversity and just winning. It’s something I get off on, I truly love that feeling, I’ve been chasing it my whole life. I’ve struggled for years and years and years and after figuring it out, it’s just something I love doing, I’m a competitor at heart.”
Billy Kemper on his way to the first 9 of the contest! – photo: Keoki
Defending event winner Robinson scored back-to-back 5-point rides out of the gates during his Round 4 heat, which featured an international mixup including Aritz Aranburu (ESP), Keijiro Nishi (JPN) and Alvaro Malpartida (PER). The shifting conditions saw the scale lower as competitors worked to get a rhythm in the lineup.
Last year, Robinson commanded the competition with a 9.43 in Round 4, a 10 and 9.57 in Round 5, and heat wins from start to finish. He earned 3,000 points to start off 2019 and then sealed his maiden run on the 2020 Championship Tour (CT) with a 10,000-point win at the Vans World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach. Now he competes pressure-free ahead of the first CT event of the year in March.
Aranburu took cues from Kemper and sat at Backdoor, eventually finding his own excellent 8.37 for a beastly barrel that he maneuvered with finesse. His backup score was a 1.93 which gave Robinson the heat win after the Australian posted a 6.23 and 5.83.
2017 Volcom Pipe Pro winner Bailey scored two keeper waves, an 8.53 and 8.00, in the first few minutes of Heat 3 and locked into the lead early on. The new NW swell continued to build all morning and seemed to jump feet during the heat to deliver clean barrels that pushed wave face heights into the 15-plus-foot range.
Yago Dora on his way to a Round 4 heat win! – photo: Keoki
Eli Hanneman (HAW), 17, owned his heat with a breakthrough backhand performance in Round 4, advancing in second with a 13.17 heat total to Bailey’s 16.53. One of the younger athletes in the draw, Hanneman came into the event with the intent to score good Pipe.
“I just wanted to surf, I had no pressure,” said Hanneman about going against a stacked heat. “These guys probably had more pressure than I did, I was just the underdog wanting to get waves out at Pipe, but it worked out in my favor. Somehow I got three good waves in a row.”
Hanneman’s youth has nothing on his status along the North Shore as he is becoming a household name through skilled surfing and strong competitive results. Earlier this week, the Maui athlete finaled at the Sunset Open Men’s QS 1,000 alongside veterans Koa Smith (HAW) and Kemper, and Tahiti’s best up-and-comer Kauli Vaast (PYF).
Nathan Florence trying to make it a party wave. – photo: Keoki
Drama filled the lineup as Round 4 kicked off with an interference call after Nathan Florence (HAW) unintentionally dropped in on Makai McNamara’s (HAW) Backdoor barrel that could have given McNamara the score he needed to advance. Both athletes fell out of the competition while Yago Dora (BRA) and Finn McGill (HAW) punched their ticket into Round 5, with Dora earning an excellent 8.00 for a lengthy barrel ride at Pipe that saw him completely disappear from view.
Contest organizers will be scrutinizing conditions as the NW swell is forecast to hold and slowly shift to the NNW direction. The run of light offshore winds that graced Pipeline is predicted to change tomorrow, with moderate ENE trades in the morning becoming moderate to breezy in the afternoon. A call will be made around 7:00 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time (HST) and when the competition is called back on, Dora, Marco Giorgi (URY), Hanneman and Callum Robson (AUS) will be first in the water for Round 5 Heat 1.
Deane, Murakami, Moniz, Tudela, Mcgill, Smith & Cristobal De Col – photos: Keoki
The Volcom Pipe Pro continued today and not a drop of water appeared out of place as iconic Pipeline delivered clean, six-to-eight-foot surf with wave face heights reaching ten-foot for the World Surf League (WSL) Men’s Qualifying Series (QS) 5,000 event.
Scores have yet to hit the 9-point range this year, but Jeronimo Vargas (BRA) got dramatically close during Round 3 Heat 5. The perennial North Shore charger opened up his 2020 competitive year with an excellent 8.33 at Backdoor then wrapped the heat with an 8.93 – the best single wave score of the competition so far – after a late drop into another right-handed barrel.
Vargas stalled in the pit, perfectly positioned, and powered out a bottom turn to pull under the lip of the wave and navigate a heavy section. He kept traveling in the tube and finally emerged with calm confidence in the channel to the cheers of beach fans.
Jeronimo Vargas now has the best single wave score of the competition, 8.93! – photo: Heff
The Brazilian has been out of the water for six months due to a chest injury but was determined to come to Hawaii for the winter season after spending the last fifteen years on the North Shore. This is Vargas’ fifth time competing in the Volcom Pipe Pro and he is now only one of four Brazilians remaining in the 144-man draw.
The Volcom Last Chance Qualifier Heat saw a mashup of eight Volcom team riders go head-to-head in a no-priority heat with North Shore fixture Kalani Chapman (HAW) earning the final wildcard spot into the Round of 96 (Round 3) after scoring the best ride. He went against Mikey Bruneau (HAW), Tom Dosland (HAW), Jonah Morgan (HAW), Jesse Johnson (HAW), Kai Mana Henry (HAW), Ryan Burch (USA) and Mauro Diaz (PRI) and found two good waves in the 40-minute heat.
Chapman took the lead after pulling into a big, open frontside barrel at Pipeline in the first few minutes, then solidified the win after being spit out of another left-handed tube. A goofy-footer, Chapman was looking for the standout lefts and positioned himself for deep takeoffs, a true professional when it comes to Pipe.
Mikey Bruno, Mauro Diaz & Kalani Chapman in the Volcom Last Chance Qualifier. – photos: Scott Sullivan
“It was a difficult heat, there were seven of my friends and they’re all Pipeline specialists,” said Chapman. “Some of the guys had really good rides and if they would have made them, it’s very possible it could have gone their way. But I’m lucky that it went my way, I’m really happy.”
Chapman took a competitive hiatus after suffering a severe head injury in January 2017 here at Pipeline, but today he felt enthusiastic to be back in a jersey. Eager to test himself again in Round 3, Chapman will surf against Shun Murakami (JPN), Alvaro Malpartida (PER) and Keito Matsuoka (JPN) once the Volcom Pipe Pro is called back on in the first heat on Day 3.
Kalani Chapman took the Volcom Last Chance Qualifier win and earns the wildcard into the round of 96! – photo: Heff
Makai McNamara (HAW) was the first to bring scores into the excellent range today during Round 3 as he and Roi Kanazawa (JPN) advanced ahead of Nick Marshall (USA) and Dusty Payne (HAW) in the opening heat. McNamara scored two beautiful rides, the first one a deep barrel on his backhand that earned an 8.60, then followed up with an 8.17 for a Backdoor barrel. He now holds the second-highest two-wave heat total of the event thus far behind Vargas.
“My first one was a perfect Pipe wave and I just knew that I had to pump to get through it,” said McNamara. “A lot of times I won’t pump and you get caught right at the end so I had to make sure to get over that foam ball. And then a right came out of nowhere, just a big teepee, it was a late drop and it had a dramatic foam ball on it so that’s how I got my other eight.”
Goofy-footer from San Clemente, Max Beach (USA) showed great technique and form in his Round 3 heat and dropped a 6.67 for a set wave on his frontside that stood out against competitors’ rides. He exalted the wave, and yesterday’s epic barrels, as his best ever at Pipe and will be looking to secure his best result in a QS event of this magnitude. Meanwhile, Eli Hanneman (HAW) got the score he needed within the last ten seconds of the heat to move into Round 4 behind Beach.
Contest organizers are eyeing the fresh push of North West swell for tomorrow to resume the Volcom Pipe Pro Top-seeded athletes will take to the water, including two-time World Champion and four-time Volcom Pipe Pro winner John John Florence (HAW) in Round 4 Heat 8 and defending event winner Jack Robinson (AUS) in Round 4 Heat 13.
Gavin Gillette, Eala Stewart, Sheldon Pasihon & a view of Volcom Pipe House from the water. – photos: Heff
The Volcom Pipe Pro fired off on opening day of the holding period to deliver pristine conditions at both Pipeline and Backdoor for the World Surf League (WSL) Men’s Qualifying Series (QS) 5,000 event. Ryder Guest (HAW), 19, led the pack of young guns as they took control of the lineup today, signaling a changing of the guard as over thirty percent of the 144-man field is under 20 years old.
Guest tied two others, Nathan Florence (HAW) and Sammy Gray (HAW), for the second highest single wave score of the day, a 7.33 (out of a possible 10) during Round 1 for a steep Pipeline left that saw him stand tall in the first barrel section and then gain speed to make it out of the second section successfully. He went on to advance in first place again out of his Round 2 heat after finding a 6.67 under priority at Pipe and backing this up with a 5.43.
“The waves are pretty much my favorite conditions at Pipeline, eight-feet, couple bigger ones, west direction, super nice conditions and a beautiful sunny day, so it’s a dream come true to surf out here with only three other guys out,” said Guest. “It’s been really good this year, there’s been a lot of good days, but it’s really different when all the big boys are out and you’re kind of just getting scraps from them, paying your dues, which is how you do it. It’s a really, really big opportunity to surf in this event in these conditions, I can’t wait to surf against the big boys, I’m excited.”
Ryder Guest on his way to a double Pipe barrel. – photo: Keoki
The goofy-footer from Kauai is best known for his barrel-riding prowess and is one of the leading up-and-coming Pipe surfers in his age range. However, he remains humble and is staying focused on his ultimate goal of year-end qualification into the Pipe Invitational and hunting the best swells around the world. He will go against a stacked Round 3 heat once competition resumes, competing alongside Tanner Hendrickson (HAW), Torrey Meister (HAW) and Mason Ho (HAW) in Heat 7.
Meanwhile, Florence advanced out of two rounds today and set the standard for scores in the first heat of the event. He earned a 7.33 for a frontside Backdoor barrel and went on to nail a buzzer-beater in Round 2 Heat 1 after dropping into another right-handed tube with less than thirty seconds remaining in the 25-minute heat.
“I was the first heat of the morning, there was a little morning sickness early on but as always, as soon as the sun came up over the mountain and groomed everything out, it ended up being as clean and glassy and as good at Pipe gets,” said Florence. “We’ve had a couple bad years in the first round so to start like this and with the forecast throughout the next week, it’s looking like it’s going to be one of the best Volcom’s yet.”
Florence, along with Derek Ho (HAW) who competed in Round 1 Heat 3, have perhaps the most experience at this wave of any of today’s competitors and demonstrated this with expert positioning and barrel-riding technique. Despite clocking in countless hours of time in the lineup, Florence still talked about the rare advantage that the Volcom Pipe Pro offers local athletes, and the excitement that this event brings.
“We surf Pipeline all year long so we have a lot of time out there, but it’s always with 50 other guys and it’s such rarity to get it with three other guys out,” said Florence. “We have our own priority systems but the way the crowd sits in the lineup, it puts people in the way and gives you other things to think about versus just where you want to position yourself on the wave. So you’re out there in a heat all of sudden, just four guys, and you can literally sit wherever you want, no one’s going to be in your way. That feeling is what we look forward to all year long.”
Derek Ho, timeless. – photo: Heff
Coming up against third-generation dynasty surfer Mason Ho (HAW) in Round 2 Heat 8, Eala Stewart (HAW) put on an excellent performance after finding the wave of the day for an extremely long, deep Pipeline barrel that judges awarded an 8.93. Not only did Stewart collect the highest single wave score of the event, he also clocked in the best heat total as well, a 16.10 (out of a possible 20).
“I’m over the moon right now, I’m really stoked that wave came to me,” said Stewart. “I was surfing with one of my good friends, Mason Ho, and the waves just turned on, I knew we were going to have a fun heat. Thanks Liam (McNamara) for helping me learn Pipeline and all the advice you give me. That’s where Liam likes to sit, we call it the Wakita Peak, really deep. I was thinking, ‘this is the moment to sit right there.’ That wave came, I was pretty deep when I pumped into it, it had a long wall and I was just going and going. I hit a foam ball; I usually get bucked off right there, but everything worked out and I came flying out of the barrel and I had to claim it, sorry guys.”
Eala Stewart earned the highest single wave score of the day with this Pipe wave, a 8.93. – photo: Bielmann
Stewart honed his positioning today, which he credits to mentor Liam McNamara (HAW), and with seemingly effortless style pulled into two of the best waves of the day on a 7’0 Arakawa board, which came from Liam’s son, Makai McNamara (HAW).
“Being goofy-foot I like to ride bigger boards and sit a little farther out and deeper, but I just like big boards for stability in the barrel and just for the paddling, you can get in easy,” Stewart continued. “Liam definitely helped me with that one. This is a 7’0 Pipe gun, it’s Makai McNamara’s old board. He got a 10 in the Semifinals when he had an interference here a few years ago and so he’s dialed down his Pipe boards and I’m just learning, watching and getting in on the benefits.”
Sammy Gray (HAW), 17, found a rare high-scoring gem in the afternoon after dropping in late from the air, then engaging the fins to fly through a deep Backdoor barrel. He went for a frontside turn to finish off the wave but all the work had already been done and judges awarded the ride a 7.33 for the tube alone. Gray surfed through two Rounds today and won both heats, opening the door on another coveted opportunity to surf Pipe with only three others out.
16-year-old Jackson Bunch (HAW) dropped into one of the best barrels of his life at Pipeline with just ten seconds left in Round 1 Heat 7 for first-advancing position ahead of Luke Swanson (HAW), 15. The two teenagers took down Pipeline legends Ezra Sitt (HAW) and Takayuki Wakita (HAW) by staying busy in the water and taking advantage of the double-up opportunities on the inside.
“That was kind of my strategy (staying on the inside), but I wanted to go outside and get a little bigger of a wave,” said Bunch. “The two waves I got the scores on were more of insider double-ups that hit the sandbar better, so I’m stoked to get those two waves but I had to really adapt in that heat.”
Bunch echoed the sentiment of every surfer today, expressing that this event allows the rare occasion for local, non-Championship Tour (CT) surfers to enjoy Pipeline with only a few others in the lineup.
“It’s pretty awesome surfing with only three other guys out because the crowd is just next level,” Bunch continued. “It’s pretty unbelievable to get such good waves, I surfed this contest last year and Round 1 wasn’t any good, but this is pretty much as good as it gets so I’m super stoked. It’s pretty exciting, I just can’t wait to get more days at Pipe and get better out here, at Sunset, Haleiwa, just everywhere.”
The Volcom Pipe Pro completed one of four days today and is targeting tomorrow, Thursday, January 30, to resume competition. The Surfline forecast sees an easing WNW swell which will maintain fairly solid size all day and a good mix of Pipe and Backdoor waves but still favoring Pipe, with light and variable wind in the morning trending to light NE in the afternoon. Contest organizers will reconvene in the morning to assess conditions and make a decision whether to call the competition back on or decide a lay day. Check out WorldSurfLeague.com for the official call tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time (HST).
When Gray competes again, he will match up against Skip McCullough (USA), Gavin Gillette (HAW) and Shion Crawford (HAW) in Round 3 Heat 3.
Mikey Redd, Mason Ho, Riley Morgan & Cristolbal de Col. – photos: Bielmann. Rantell hard off the bottom. – photo: Heff. Jamie O’Brien in his backyard. – photo: Keoki
Now in its 9th year running, the Live Like Sion Gromfest is expanding to more islands. The free events are based off the love that Sion Milosky had for the ocean and sharing it with his family and friends.
Honolii, Big Island
Makaha, Oahu
TBD, Maui
PK’s, Kauai
For each event, the ages range from the Keiki push-in division (4-5 years old) which usually has 100 entries, to an 14 & under open division that features some of Hawaii’s best rated amateurs, as well as a very special division called “PILI” (combines adult & Keiki).
Follow @volcomhawaii_ on Instagram for more event & registration info.
Wow, what a crazy day and massive accomplishment for Jack Robinson, with his win at Sunset, Jack secured his place on the 2020 WSL Championship Tour (CT). Going into the contest at Sunset, Jack had to make the finals in order to have a chance of finishing in the top 10 on the WSL Qualifying Series (QS) in order to qualify for the 2020 CT.
Jack absolutely ripped Sunset apart. He surfed six rounds to the final, winning every single heat and propelling him into the 5th position overall on the QS.
Not only did Jack make the CT with his win, his final point total of 19.07 out of a possible 20 in the final round was the highest final total in the history of the World Cup at Sunset.
Root for Jack (@jackrobinson_official on IG) in Pipe Masters Invitational beginning this Sunday December 8th, where Jack will enter the contest as a wildcard thanks his #3 rating in the Vans Triple Crown rankings.
Huge congrats, let’s go Jack!
Watch the video and read a new interview with Jack by Wasted Talent’s Alexei Obolensky who caught up with him while he was in town for a QS event.
This trip was pretty much two sessions. I surfed 6 or 7 hours. Then I broke one board, came in, went back out and then I surfed the next day for a few hours. But yeah it all happened pretty quick because there wasn’t many crew out. That long day was pretty much Indo perfection all day.
When it’s big that wave is just an animal… It’s wild. It’s got all these steps in the faces that you’ve got to navigate when you’re in it. When it’s small it can get pretty playful, but when it’s bigger it just tries to kill you, I swear. I get scared out there, even if it’s not that high. I get scared everywhere pretty much but keep on doing it. Haha.
Yeah it’s very special. I’ve been going up there since I was a baby pretty much! It’s an incredible place really. It’s far from everything, there’s no phone reception. The closest town is one hour and a half away… and it’s barely a town.
I’d say a couple of weeks. You get pretty crusty after that.
You’d probably go fishing. I’d probably be a fisherman if I wasn’t a surfer.
That town before the spot is pretty wild. It’s a fisherman town. My dad used to work there as a fisherman so every time we’d stop there when I was a kid it’d be pretty full on. I’d be waiting for him in the car at the gas station because I was petrified by the old locals living there. I was this little scared kid that was waiting in the car with a bowl haircut and a baseball bat at the time.
The radiator stopped one time and we had to put 10 liters of water every 50 kilometers and we barely made it there… but generally it.s always been pretty smooth luckily.
It’s not too bad. It’s pretty much some of the boys from the towns close by. Everyone is pretty nice in the water. Everybody takes turn. I think the wave is too heavy for it to get crowded to be honest. It’s not like Desert Point that has an accessible take off. The wave is that full on that it sorts the crowd out itself. I think in heavy waves, if you start snaking people it will bite back. You got to be careful when you surf there.
Basically Arakawas as I ride for them. I don’t really know what goes into them, but he makes good boards, so I’m trying to be a good pilot. I think that fear makes you think the right things in heavy waves. It does to me anyways. I always study things a lot before taking on something. I’d rather sit back and analyze it before trying to get the biggest one.
I’ve towed there once before. It was the day when Nate Florence had that big one. But I didn’t go back for any big swell and didn’t have much time to prepare or study anything. I literally showed up there in the first morning to these 25 footers coming though and I’m just like “Oh my god…”. The big ones were too big to paddle so they called the trials off. I thought it’d be easy to get hurt paddling there so we decided to get the jet ski out and give it a go. It was sucking way too much from the bottom for me to be surfing my normal board and I was teaming up with Kamalei Alexander. He was like: “Brah, I’ve got the sickest board for you!”. When I first got on it, it felt like the straps were super wide. It was pretty sketchy. We went for a 50 meter ride to get a feel for the board before getting towed into a 20-foot wave. It felt alright so we just got out there, afterwards he told me that the jet ski wasn’t able to come and rescue me because it wasn’t powerful enough. I could only clip my lifejacket because it wasn’t zipping up the whole way as most of them do now. Then I got towed in on one and felt like I was going backward on that board. It was all pretty sketchy, but somehow made it. It definitely was the scariest few seconds I had in a long time.
Heading into final day on Sunday, Brazil’s Yago Dora had his sights set on the podium. “I came out of my house with a goal to win this event and I did it.” After taking out France’s Jorgann Couzinet in the quarterfinal with and inverted frontside rotation that earned him one of the event’s highest scoring waves, a 9.27, Yago would have to take on fellow Brazilian, Alex Ribeiro. In the semifinal that saw the countrymen engaged in an air game battle, Alex almost stole the heat in the last few seconds with a 9.33, but was just shy of the 9.94 needed to beat Yago and advance to the final. In the final against Australia’s Liam O’Brien, Yago wasn’t done busting lips, nailing an air-reverse and navigating through the HB pier, this 8.6 would catapult him onto the podium.
Yago’s win at the 2019 U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach launches him into the number 4 position on the QS and puts him in a good spot to secure a place on the CT in 2020.
Can lightning strike twice? That was the question when the guys at Stab proposed heading down to Mexico with 100ft of Candock to recreate the “dock surfing” phenomenon that we invented together two years ago in Indonesia with the release of The Dock. The difference this time would be, could Noa and his mates jump off The Dock into the barrel? Watch Noa Deane and friends tempt the impossible and see who makes it back to shore in one piece!
A proven staple, the Deadly Stones Mod-Tech trunks continue to be tried, tested and proven in situations as wide ranging as the one you’ve just witnessed above.
Check out our Trunks Fit Guide and find your perfect fit.
A proven staple, the Deadly Stones Mod-Tech trunks continue to be tried, tested and proven in situations as wide ranging as the one you’ve just witnessed above.
Check out our Trunks Fit Guide and find your perfect fit.
Hailing from Saint Martin (French Carribean island), William Aliotti is excited to release his first surf movie and share his artistic vision of surfing with the world. An ode to adventure, “New Religion” showcases William’s determination to prove that his surfing can still be creative and unsubordinated.
“New Religion” was directed, edited and filmed by: Manuel Claudeville Morell
The soundtrack was written and recorded for the movie by Manuel Claudeville Morell. Extra musicians: Adrien Legrand, Arthur Labbaye.
It’s true. Jack Robinson has officially joined the Volcom Family. Fresh off his win at this year’s Volcom Pipe Pro in February, this cosmic alignment has us overwhelmed with enthusiasm and feeling a great sense of pride to see the Stone stuck to the nose of Jack’s surfboards starting now.
– Jack Robinson
Words by Travis Ferre
Jack Robinson is no stranger. Not to us in the collective surf world or any of the surrounding seas. We all know him. We know his straw-like blonde hair from miles away. We can identify his stylish and powerful turns from way down the beach. And we recognize his world class and mysteriously intuitive tube riding even with the sun in our eyes. Simply: Jack’s been blowing our mind for a very long time. But Jack is only 21 years old! Which is surreal to read because we’ve all known his surfing for so long. That’s because Jack was blessed with preternatural talent since boyhood and we’ve been watching him grow up right before our eyes. For more than a decade now actually. At Teahupoo. At Pipeline. At the Box. At North Point. All over the world. And in movies. With standout performances at world-class waves. Always on the one. Growing up. Proving himself. And now, it’s official: Jack Robinson is no longer the boy next door. He’s ready to carve his way into the place in the surf pantheon we’ve been holding for him since he was 8 years old. It’s time. And to kick off Jack’s new chapter, he will be joining the most eclectic, authentic and legitimate surf family on the planet: Volcom.
Yeah, Jack Robinson rides for Volcom now.
Don’t call it a sequel or a comeback, call it the beginning for Jack Robinson and Volcom.
– Todd Hymel, Volcom CEO
Give Jack a follow on Instagram at @jackrobinson_official and keep track of his results on the QS on WSL.
Starring: Balaram Stack, Coco Ho, Dave Wassel, Derek Ho, Dusty Payne, Gavin Beschen, Grant Taylor, Guy Sato, Jesse Johnson, Joan Duru, Jonathan Mincher, Kaimana Henry, Kalani Chapman, Mitch Coleborn, Mauro Diaz, Noa Deane, Shun Murakami, Takayuki Wakita, Tom Dosland, Yago Dora
At Pipeline there is flora, fauna, ocean and stone. Volcom Stone. At this point, the Volcom house is practically part of the reef at Pipeline. Between the team, the house, the family, the legacy, the legends, the peanut gallery, the respect, the parties, the Pipe Pro and the barbecues, you’d be hard pressed not to acknowledge the presence the Volcom Stone has on the North Shore, particularly at Pipe. I mean, one of the houses was built by the one and only Gerry Lopez!
And as we learn in this new film from another year posted at ground zero: Volcom is Hawaii and it’s only getting stonier as the year pass us by.
When the light comes over the mountains, Pipeline wakes up
I mean, you could probably get in a pretty legit barroom debate and assert that Balaram Stack is one of the world’s best tube rider and pushback would be minimal. Especially being from New York, know body is doing that! In that barroom debate though you might have to include honorable mentions of just about everyone who appears in this film – especially Noa Deane, Kaimana Henry or even Derek Ho, who clearly has what it takes to be the guy at Pipe.
Another winter in the books and another reason Volcom may soon replace black coral as the Hawaiian state Stone!
Pre skate ramp shenanigans
Yago, Noa and Mitch contemplating surf or happy hour?
Kaimana Henry sitting nicely at home
The Backdoor Volcom House, aka “The OG House”
Mikey Bruneau started off this season with a knee injury, and from the looks of this, he’s doing just fine
Two great humans talking about what’s for dinner maybe? Dave Wassel and Uncle Kimo!
We built a mini ramp in our backyard facing Pipeline and let Grant Taylor do his thing
The one and only Derek Ho!
Photos: Ryan “Chachi” Craig
BANZAI PIPELINE, Oahu/Hawaii (Tuesday, February 5, 2019) – Jack Robinson (AUS) was crowned the 2019 World Surf League (WSL) men’s Qualifying Series (QS) Volcom Pipe Pro QS 3,000 champion outright in pristine, 6-to-8 foot (10-foot plus wave faces), occasional plus, WNW swell at Pipeline and Backdoor over a heavily-stacked finals day field. The 21-year-old fulfilled a part of his destiny with this victory, known for charging waves of consequence from a young age at his home of Western Australia. But, he’s also put his time in at the mecca here on Hawaii’s North Shore and finally capitalized on that experience.”
“I’m on top of the world, couldn’t have more confidence to start the year off with a win here — it’s about as good as it gets,” Robinson said. “It’s the hardest contest all year and Pipeline I feel like chooses guys. If a wave comes it comes. You have to be so on to win this contest. You can do all the preparation in the world to be ready, but if the wave doesn’t come to you then you’re left on the outside looking in. Thank you to everyone for coming out and supporting me. I couldn’t do this without my dad, my friends, my girlfriend — all the local boys here make me feel at home.”
Jack Robinson
Robinson took on Oahu, Hawaii’s, own Barron Mamiya, fellow Australian Reef Heazlewood, and the first Volcom team rider to make a Final at this event, and known Pipe charger, Balaram Stack (USA). An early start for Robinson garnered him a 7.00 (out of a possible 10) before Mamiya topped that with a 7.50. Heazlewood got in the mix with an excellent 8.00 to take the lead, but Robinson was quick to respond and threw himself over the ledge on a Backdoor bomb to post a 7.87 and ultimately claim the victory. Now, Robinson looks to carry this momentum into the rest of 2019.
“I feel confident and just want to get to the World Tour already,” Robinson added. “That’s where I’m meant to be I feel. It’s going to be a lot of hard work to get there, but I feel like it’s time.”
The 2019 Volcom Pipe Pro champ also posted the event’s highest heat total of a near-perfect 19.57 (out of a possible 20) in Round 5 to start the day’s proceedings.
Barron Mamiya
Runner-up Mamiya, along with Robinson, posted a Perfect 10 en route to his terrific finish and set himself up for a big year on the QS. The 19-year-old also earned the Banzai Bowl “Life in the Bowl” award for best barrel with that Perfect 10. It marks a great start for the young, upcoming QS threat as he has his goals set high heading into a full season — his first full-time year away from the Pro Juniors.
“I think I had a great day even though I didn’t win, obviously I wanted to, but I had three really great heats that I’m really excited about,” Mamiya said. “Pipeline is a very special wave to me and I’ve always studied the best guys out here like John (John Florence), Jamie (O’Brien), and Kelly (Slater), and I just want to surf like them out here. Last year I had a hard year and didn’t make any heats really, but this is a big confidence booster and I’ll look to keep backing this up.”
Reef Heazlewood
Starting the year off with a bang, Heazlewood is also on the watchlist for 2019 threats and proved it today — taking down defending event champion Joshua Moniz (HAW) in the Quarterfinals en route to his third-place finish. Now, the Australian plans for a big run at home with two QS 6,000-level events awaiting, along with another QS 3,000.
“Just kept getting through and thinking, one more heat, one more heat,” Heazlewood said. “Then the next thing I know I’m in the Final. It felt like just another heat, but with the best guys out there which was awesome — couldn’t have wanted anything less. It was just beautiful conditions and to spend so much time out there was awesome. I can’t believe that it’s worked out this way and now I just want to keep it rolling throughout the year.”
Balaram Stack
One of Pipeline’s most notable winter season chargers, Stack, made his first-ever QS Final in dynamic fashion with a buzzer-beater in the Semifinals to join eventual third-place finisher Heazlewood. The Final didn’t quite come together for the New York, N.Y., born-and-raised surfer but it was a dream come true for Stack to represent for the house he’s stayed in for countless winters on the North Shore.
“This was beyond any of my expectations and it’s crazy just having everyone here for my first Final,” Stack said. “It’s my favorite wave in the world and you couldn’t ask for much more. I’m taking this home forever. Right when I was going down for the heat every time, all the boys just yelling was probably the best part (laughs). That was just incredible and those boys were pushing it all event so to share that with them was great.”
The finalists: Balaram Stack, Reef Heazlewood, Barron Mamiya, Jack Robinson
Finishing off notable moments, North Shore, Oahu’s, own Kalani David earned the prestigious Todd Chesser Charger of the Event Award, presented by the late Chesser’s beloved mother Jeannie for showing heart and remaining humble both in and out of the water while putting on a great display of surfing.
Top-seeded competitors made their long-awaited debuts and fireworks ensured at the Volcom Pipe Pro, a World Surf League (WSL) men’s Qualifying Series (QS) 3,000-level event. Clean, 4-to-6 foot, occasional plus NW swell (10-foot, plus wave faces) filled into Pipeline and Backdoor providing solid opportunity for some of the QS elite to showcase their talent. It became the first barrel fest of the event window and competitors showed absolute commitment, throwing themselves into caverns of moving water.
Championship Tour (CT) veteran and Kauai, Hawaii’s, Sebastian Zietz left fans and fellow competitors in awe with a solid Backdoor barrel that spit twice with him still riding through it to earn the event’s first Perfect 10. Zeitz comes into this event looking to garner some extra experience at the famed Pipeline, as well as earn some extra money after losing his major sponsor and the birth of his daughter coming in April, and did just that. It’s still all fun for the seasoned veteran as he moves forward with his ambitions remaining high.
Sebastian Zietz
“I’m stoked to get a 10, I woke up and the waves were really fun and I’m really happy to see a lot of rights — as well as the wind calming down,” Zietz said. “It was a really good wave, I had second priority and Noa (Deane) was a little out of position, and got a double-barrel so I’m stoked. It’s important to compete here knowing there’s a contest at the end of the year and a lot of underground Pipe guys do this one. To win this thing or make the Final definitely puts you on the radar as someone who’s good at Pipe so it’s really important.”
“(Not having a sponsor) puts some extra pressure on yourself to perform to make a comfortable living,” Zeitz added. “I just have to back myself and it’s been alright. I’m looking forward to the birth of my daughter and nothing can knock me down.”
One of Pipeline’s most notable chargers made a statement in his Round 4 debut and Jack Robinson (AUS) is into Round 5 with a commanding win. The Australian’s poise in the barrel is par-none among the world’s best and a 9.43, 7.33 scoreline at Backdoor proved he’s still as lethal as ever. But, the 21-year-old has much bigger aspirations in mind this season to qualify for the ever-elusive CT.
“It’s good to get a strong start, but you don’t want to peak too early and leave some room in the tank for the next round,” Robinson said. “I’m always excited for this event so that helps. Everyone loves a barrel, it’s probably the best thing in surfing so it’s good to start off with some fun out there. If you can bag a result here and keep being consistent throughout the year it helps a lot.”
Jack Robinson
But, it was recent Sunset Open finalist and Maui, Hawaii’s, own Billy Kemper who put a staple early on in Round 4 with another of the event’s highest scores — a near-perfect 9.80. The two-time WSL Jaws Challenge winner took on a draining, Backdoor wave that he raced through and came flying out of after multiple sections behind the curtain. This marks an important event in Kemper’s eyes and he’s not holding back.
“I had a rough heat yesterday and barely made it through because I didn’t start my surfing until about eight minutes remaining,” Kemper said. “The game plan was to just execute two scores in the first five minutes, whether they were below average, average or excellent. After that I wanted to establish priority and wait for something in the excellent range. I saw the set come in and looked like a good angle for a good Backdoor wave and it doubled-up hard — and those usually have a lot of energy.”
“Every good result I’ve gotten, there’s always been that grindy heat and that pushes you to where momentum starts,” Kemper added. “I’m healthy, I’m happy. I’ve got my family down here and I’m just enjoying it. It’s the last event of the North Shore season for me and these events are everything. I’m out here competing like I’m trying to win a World Title at a 3,000 (laughs), but I take these events really serious.”
Billy Kemper
Two days away from his 16th birthday, 15-year-old Big Island, Hawaii, native Brodi Sale continued his event momentum from Round 1 into Round 4 with a big upset over fellow Hawaii natives including soon-to-be Championship Tour (CT) rookie Seth Moniz, Benji Brand, and Koa Smith — eliminating Smith and Moniz. It’s all fun for Sale, who still competes at the Pro Junior level, and found redemption from an early exit at Sunset just two weeks ago.
“I just went into that heat wanting to put on a good performance together and get a couple of waves. I’ve looked up to Seth (Moniz) and Benji (Brand) my whole life basically. They’ve kind of been my older brothers out here and I’m super stoked to beat them (laughs). I got the 7 and I was so stoked, but knew I had to solidify and then that wave came thinking this is going to be really sick. I have so much respect for Benji, Seth and Koa (Smith) — they’re just legends and I couldn’t be more stoked to have heat with them.”
Also with notable berths into Round 5; defending event champion Joshua Moniz (HAW), 2017 event winner Soli Bailey (AUS) and former CT competitor Keanu Asing (HAW), join upcoming threats like 18-year-old North Shore standout Barron Mamiya, Nolan Rapoza (USA), and Cody Young (HAW) among many more.
The 2018 Volcom Pipe Pro will run on the four biggest and best days of surf within the holding period, determined by contest officials, and will be broadcast LIVE via worldsurfleague.com, the WSL app and volcom.com/pipepro. Tune into Spectrum SURF Channel for their live and replay television coverage of the 2018 Volcom Pipe Pro on digital channels 20 SD and 1020 HD across the state of Hawaii.
Conditions improved drastically for the second day of competition at the 2019 Volcom Pipe Pro, a World Surf League (WSL) men’s Qualifying Series (QS) 3,000-level event. A new swell began filling in overnight and this morning event organizers made an easy call to start Round 2 Heat 12 in 6-to-8 foot (10-foot, plus faces) WNW swell before moving into a full day of competition as the Pipeline lineup began to show its many different moods.
The first near-perfect score of competition was dropped in Round 3 Heat 11 by Barbados’ Josh Burke on a Backdoor bomb to garner a 9.07 (out of a possible 10). The 21-year-old came to the North Shore for the first time at age 14 and that experience has paid dividends as he now tries to build a professional career in surfing. Burke also has the training ground of Soup Bowl to hone his barrel-riding and that comfort in waves of consequence proved a difference maker over the likes of former event champion Jamie O’Brien (HAW).
“I was happy to be out there by myself with priority because Jamie’s (O’Brien) intimidating out there just being at his home break,” Burke said. “Soup Bowl is a bit of a mix of waves out here. It’s kind of like Off The Wall and Backdoor when it’s clean, but can be like Haleiwa when it’s windy. It’s so hard to be unprepared for this event staying at the Billabong house and the ocean right there so I’m incredibly grateful for that. You can see Pipeline a little bit from there and it makes it look a lot more scary, especially when people knife it and you only see fins through the back of the wave.”
Kalani David
Just before Burke’s brilliance, Oahu, Hawaii’s, own Makuakai Rothman found himself dropping into a Backdoor bomb when he needed it most in the dying seconds of his Round 3 heat and came flying out with the wave’s spit surrounding him to earn an excellent 8.50 (out of a possible 10). The 34-year-old, former WSL Big Wave Champion, showed his patience and the ocean rewarded him for it
“Sunny Garcia always says if it’s not an 8-point ride, don’t go and I needed a 7.57 today,” Rothman said. “I wouldn’t say it’s an easy give by the judges, but if you get a barrel and come out with the spit you’re going to get the score. I knew none of those other waves that came in offered the scoring potential. I sat there waiting for my wave and if it didn’t come, it wasn’t my time. It’s surfing, the waves choose you, they come to you and some guys are luckier than others. It came to me and I’m blessed, and tomorrow’s another day.”
A specialty heat highlighted the early stages of day two with the Volcom Last Chance Qualifier determining the final slot into the main event and it belonged to the Big Island, Hawaii’s, Mikey Bruneau. The best one-wave-take-all, single heat included the likes of WSL Champion Derek Ho along with a crop of Pipeline chargers such as Kaimana Henry gunning for the one spot into the main event, but it was Bruneau’s 6.00 that took the win. While opportunities were scarce in the heat, Bruneau enjoyed the camaraderie as he now prepares to shift gears into competition.
“I just went into it wanting to have fun with my friends surfing and got that six thinking maybe it will hang on — I’m glad it did,” Bruneau said. “I just tried to pick and choose. There weren’t many good waves, but I saw that one wave and knew it’d have a little barrel. Basically just tried to navigate through that heat, but the rip was pretty gnarly so just stayed focused. It was super rad to be in that heat with them and it was nothing but good vibes, everyone was laughing and not competition mode. I hope we get some barreling Pipeline and I’m focused, and now it’s competition mode.”
Tyler Newton proved himself as a threat before the first horn of this event sounded after taking down the 2019 Da Hui Backdoor Shootout title and brought that confidence into winning form in Round 3. The Kauai, Hawaii, native showcased his prowess for the barrel once again and earned a solid 7.33 to find himself into the top-seeded Round 4. Newton is also understanding the process and what it takes to compete at a high level which was on full display today.
“I went on the first one and the face pinched on me, but then I saw Makai (McNamara) get a right and thought I just need to wait for a good one so I was stoked it came,” Newton said. “Nothing too crazy but it got the job done. It’s going through phases where there is good waves and then the wind will come up, there’s a rip, but that’s Pipeline. I’m feeling healthy, I’ve been training a lot and just trying to be the best me I can. Hanging out with Ian Walsh at Nias then going to Teahupoo after and seeing the way Nate (Florence) and Koa operate is really inspiring. You have to be an athlete, it’s not like when I was a kid and just going out to surf. Now it’s training, being smart, boards, eating healthy – just all of that comes into play.”
Hawaii’s North Shore never plays favorites and that was apparent in the early goings at the Volcom Pipe Pro. It wasn’t the iconic Pipeline fans are used to on opening day and tough conditions left the door open for a lot of unknowns. Competitors were at the mercy of Mother Nature for nearly the entire day of proceedings and those who rose to the occasion came away with the spoils. The event ran through Round 1 and Round 2 Heats 1-11, but not before getting a surprise spectacle to close out opening day affairs.
What looked to be a day filled with high-performance, high-risk maneuver surfing turned to a barrel fest in the final two heats of the day with competitors throwing themselves into Backdoor gems. Both Sheldon Paishon and Shayden Pacarro snuck their way into small caverns for the first excellent scores of competition — though it was Paishon who raised the stakes with the day’s best 15.10 (out of a possible 20) heat total. Paishon is no stranger to reeling right handers, winning the Rangiroa event last year in Tahiti, and displayed that technique to near-perfection.
“It was very tough out there, but after seeing Shayden’s (Pacarro) wave I was just thinking of getting one like that,” Paishon said. “I surf everyday so I’m ready for anything and that took off a lot of pressure finding that wave. It gives me a lot of confidence going forward, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. There’s still a lot to run but I’m hoping to get more waves like that.”
Sheldon Paishon
Before Paishon found his beauty, Pacarro lucked into his 8.17 under priority and stole the show. The 21-year-old was urged into the wave by close friend Makuakai Rothman, who was just out of position, as he held priority over his competitors. But, both made it through the heat and will be ones to watch in Round 3.
“I saw that it was tough conditions all day so I wasn’t sure if I should ride a little shorter board or a bigger board since we had this little swell,” Pacarro said. “Up here it’s always harder to get into waves. When I showed up I thought we’d still be doing turns and I didn’t expect to catch a Backdoor wave. It was a big surprise. But, a barrel a day keeps the doctor away (laughs).”
Oahu’s, Hawaii own Kalani David made his Round 1 debut count in the tough conditions with the round’s highest single-wave score of a 7.67. David took advantage of the ramps on offer and soared a huge, full rotation which he landed with ease, adding to his 5.33. It was a redemption heat for the 21-year-old after an early exit at Sunset last week and now looks to capitalize on the opportunity at hand.
“It’s definitely better than my Sunset heat, that was a pretty big shocker,” David said. “I was thinking about doing that air, should I do it? Should I not do it? Right when I went for it, I kind of missed the section a little bit but then I rode out and it was the best feeling. I was actually wanting to get a wave where I could do a couple turns and show people I can do that too, but you have to do what you have to do.”
Kalani David
Lenny earned a runner-up behind David and finds himself into Round 2 when competition resumes. The Maui native is beginning to find his footing in the QS scene, adding to his long list of accomplishments that includes a Puerto Escondido Challenge Big Wave Tour (BWT) win and eight SUP World Titles, by using his ocean knowledge and adaptive style. The Hawaiian has his goals lined up for the year and wants to navigate through the competitive QS grind for a shot at making them happen.
“I think every little kid’s dream here in Hawaii is to get into the Triple Crown and it’s still one of my ultimate goals,” Lenny said. “To be able to do all the events, make Finals, and win events — that would be the ultimate. Doing the events necessary events to get there is very important. Any time you can spend out at Pipe like this event is really extraordinary so you want to keep making heats to surf Pipeline whether it’s bad or not. I definitely see myself getting on the QS more mainly because it will continue to help my shortboard surfing and smaller waves. And it’s fun competing.
Straight off a third-place finish at the SEAT Pro Netanya and into a Round 2 win at Pipeline, Cole Houshmand (USA) continues to find success early on in 2019. This marks Houshmand’s first full year on the QS after flourishing at the Pro Junior level — making his way to World Junior Championships twice and earning his first win in 2017. But, the 18-year-old, San Clemente, Californian, now finds himself in company with some of the world’s elite competitors and is already showing signs of maturity to start at the next level.
“It feels amazing after getting a good start in Israel which was my best result at a higher-rated event and it gave me a lot of momentum coming here,” Houshmand said. “I was hoping we’d score some good Pipe but it was tough out there. Even though it’s not the best, it’s still way better than everyday waves at home so I’ve been surfing almost every day for over three hours. I think that’s helped looking back on it and I brought that into the heat which gave me some more confidence.”
Event organizers will reconvene at 7am HST to determine a possible 8am HST start for Round 2 Heat 12.
As we gear up for the 10th Annual Volcom Pipe Pro, we take a look back at some of the most exciting, shocking, and downright entertaining moments from the Volcom Pipe Pro. Beginning in 2010 with the first win going to Pipeline local boy Jamie O’Brien and last year’s win going to Oahu’s Josh Moniz, there has been major upsets, multiple repeat winners, and tons of heavy wipeouts. Scroll below for our Top 10 picks. Don’t see one that should’ve made the cut? Let us know on Instagram→ @volcomsurf.
One of the greatest lei day free surfs in recent history. Though there are some awesome waves in this video, they were gathered throughout the entire day. The good waves were actually few and far between and there was nowhere near enough consistency to run back-to-back heats.
Kelly Slater kicking off the Volcom Pipe Pro 2015 final with a smaller, but tricky Backdoor barrel, racing his way through the tube and exiting just before closing out behind him.
Newcomer to Pipeline, Noa Deane, takes out 4x Volcom Pipe Pro champ, John John Florence, in challenging conditions. While it wasn’t your typical Pipeline, Noa was able to snag a clean one to secure his spot in the next round.
Jamie O’Brien surprising the crowd with a double barrel at Pipeline to earn himself a perfect 10-point ride.
Huge surf, wash-throughs, crazy wipeouts from Derek Ho, Tom Dosland, Morgan Faulkner, and a serious injury that leaves Stephen Koehne being carried from the water
Leo Fioravanti suffers a massive wipeout when he tries to take off super late and knife it into a Pipeline bomb, consequently being slammed to the bottom of the reef and compressing his body to sustain a fractured L1 spinal injury.
During the entire event, Makai McNamara, suffering wipeouts and all, was committed to going on the biggest waves. And as a respected surfer out at Pipeline, we knew he had more to show us. During the semifinals this year, Makai turns on definitely the biggest Pipe wave of the event and rides out effortlessly.
Cam Richards stole the show throughout the event at the 2018 Volcom Pipe Pro with multiple high-scoring rides and crowd pleasers. If you didn’t know who Cam Richards was before this event, you definitely knew after.
Kelly Slater bags one of his best waves during the ’13/’14 Hawaii season during this heat at the Volcom Pipe Pro. Taking off super left at Pipeline, he airdrops into a perfect 10-point ride. Mason Ho calling it “one of the sickest waves he’s seen at Pipeline.”
The most iconic heat in Volcom Pipe Pro history. With under 20 seconds to go in the final, and Jamie O’Brien holding the lead, John John Florence sees a Backdoor gem of a wave on the horizon and scores an epic barrel to claim the title.
Who will take the crown at the 2019 Volcom Pipe Pro? Will it be 4x VPP champ, John John Florence, 11x World Champ, Kelly Slater, or possibly a newcomer looking to earn his respect at the Banzai Pipeline? Stay tuned to live webcast for all the action beginning on January 29!
Stay in the know, sign up to get an email alert when the contest is on!
Volcom is celebrating 10 years at the proving grounds. 2019 marks the 10th year Volcom hasheld the prestigious contest at the world-famous Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu. Jamie O’Brien won the first Volcom Pipe Pro in 2010, then for the next six years only two surfer’s held the winner’s trophy, John John Florence and Kelly Slater. That all changed in 2017 as Australian Soli Bailey took first with a series of Backdoor barrels. Then in 2018 Hawaiian Joshua Moniz bested the 144-man field and took the title in all-time conditions! Tune in this year for the live webcast of the 2019 Volcom Pipe Pro to see who will take home the win!
John John has competed in all 9 Volcom Pipe Pros to date and won a record 4 times!
The King has competed in five of the nine Volcom Pipe Pro events to date, taking 1st place twice.
Winner of the inaugural Volcom Pipe Pro in 2010, Jamie has since come in 2nd place four times!
Soli was the first person in 7 years to break the winning hold that John John and Slater had on the Volcom Pipe Pro. Soli had been competing in the contest since 2015, and before taking 1st place in 2017, his previous best finish was 13th in 2016.
Josh called his 2018 win “100 percent the best win of my pro career.” Competing in the contest since 2013, previous to his win last year, the furthest he advanced was to Round 3 in 2017, where lost to eventual winner, Soli Bailey.
Stay in the know, sign up to get an email alert when the contest is on!
Words by Lugo
I’ve traveled with Tom Carey shooting surfing for over 20 years. Back in the day Tom was a pioneer with remote flash photography. I used to love filming at dusk, trying to capture the pop of his flash and see what my crappy video framegrabs would look like. I even bought the biggest handheld construction lights I could find and made friends stand on the beach lighting up surfers after dark. Then came the day that a drone that could hold a flash was finally in my hands.
The idea was what if you could shoot surfing (or anything really) where the light source is coming from somewhere that it shouldn’t be or couldn’t be.
Every single time we tried this we had huge failures, learned a little and always got at least one photo that had us frothing for more! The list of troubles was always high: flashes that never worked (especially at the worst times), soft focus photos, flying blind, broken propellers mid-flight, sets of waves that show up when you’re flying at 6% over the ocean.
We went from trying to fabricate something legit to using sponges and gaff tape, which worked surprisingly well. Tai Van Dyke was wondering where the Volcom Pipe House sponges kept disappearing to. We finally settled on using Lume Cubes to help Tom’s camera focus and a setup that didn’t require having a long dangling swinging flash remote hanging from the drone. We definitely got away with some close calls and some sketchy setups.
We tried to be as secretive as we could with the process and photos in the beginning, but once realized how hard this whole concept was I welcomed the idea of other people trying to do the same thing. It’s a bit of a nightmare with very costly consequences but we think the photos were worth it and we hope you agree.
4 Cities: What’s the place you spend the majority of your life like? Does it make you you? Or do you make it you? We wanted to immerse ourselves in some of our favorite surfers hometowns to see how they blend in or stand out in their communities.
In Episode 7 of 4 Cities we found ourselves in Manasquan, New Jersey, post Hurricane Sandy. Local boy Pat Schmidt gave us the ins-and-outs of growing up in New Jersey, the dos-and-don’ts, and why it’s a great place to grow up. We also picked the right time to jet over for a few days and got lucky with an amazing couple days of waves.
4 Cities: What’s the place you spend the majority of your life like? Does it make you you? Or do you make it you? We wanted to immerse ourselves in some of our favorite surfers hometowns to see how they blend in or stand out in their communities.
Santa Cruz’s Cole Sandman has an infectious personality and a surfing talent to match. We caught up with Cole in his hometown to talk surfing, fishing, and what makes Santa Cruz different from any other place he’s been.
Many people choose the ocean as their escape from the chaos in the streets, and Head Noise is just that. The ocean is Noa Deane‘s skatepark and liberation in life! The only way to beat that noise out of your head is to go fast and high. We followed Noa to his favorite surf spots from Australia to Hawaii to Indonesia testing out his new clothing collection, Noise Noise Noise.
Head Noise is a direct reflection of Noa Deane. It’s a candid look at one of surfing’s most exciting characters through high-action, heavy-charging, avant-garde surfing for the new age, documented unmistakably through the lens of filmmaker Mikey Mallalieu. Expect this movie to shift your head and make you want to shred!
For a limited time grab a FREE download of The LINE’s songs from Head Noise, along with their entire album:
4 Cities: What’s the place you spend the majority of your life like? Does it make you you? Or do you make it you? We wanted to immerse ourselves in some of our favorite surfers hometowns to see how they blend in or stand out in their communities.
Sit down with Mauro Diaz as he takes you through his hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and shows you the local surfing community, why he loves his city, and the devastating natural disasters that recently hit Puerto Rico.
On January 8, 2018, Dusty Payne suffered a near-fatal wipeout at Backdoor on the North Shore of Oahu. After hitting the reef, Dusty was knocked unconscious and didn’t surface for five waves. After being hospitalized with a broken jaw and multiple skull fractures, Dusty underwent surgery and spent months recovering. This captivating film documents Dusty’s surfing accident and his road to recovery, and spotlights his career of highs and lows and his relentless love for the sport of surfing.
ABOUT RELENTLESS:
Dusty Payne is one of the most dynamic surfers of his generation, but his path in the world of professional surfing has been far from easy. His career has been a roller coaster of competitive successes and failures, era-defining video parts, heartbreaking injuries and inspiring comebacks. Set against the backdrop of his near-fatal wipeout at Backdoor in January 2018, including high-action surfing footage from places like Portugal, Oahu, and Maui (including Honolua Bay), Relentless tells the story of a surfer who has been through it all and keeps coming back stronger than ever.