Pipe 2023: Day 4

As I said on Day 1, the Woz would paradoxically get some much needed shine off the talk about a dire forecast when “good enough” Pipe and Backdoor provided some golden moments. Which is a reasonable one sentence summary of today.

Of course, you had to be in the spot with the skill set ready to make sense of the golden moments, and by and large the big dogs were the ones able to execute. None more so that JJF who typically comes to life in the golden light of a Pipe afternoon and effortlessly threw down the highest heat total of the day with a total disappearing act behind a multi-sectioned Backdoor runner which was so prolonged even a professional camera operator turned their lens away. Luckily we got the drone and Off the Wall angles to fully appreciate the ride. Fans demanded 10 points, judges held the dessert and dished out a 9.93. To be honest, it wasn't a full disappointment for me after Gabe Medina's much heavier no hands Backdoor drainer did not get awarded a perfect score. A minority view I realise.

"Even John won't find the exit," said Kaipo about this Backdoor semi-closeout (WSL/Heff)

A huge day of surfing with over-lapping heats through the Rounds of 32 and 16. Eliminated in the Round of 32 (so second last or 17th place) with its measly 1,330 points on offer makes it extremely difficult to avoid having one's head in the stocks with a guillotine blade above it come Margaret River in May. Especially if your name is Kelly Slater.

Slater froze in the opening twenty minutes of his heat with Yago Dora while Yago threw a couple of small scores at judges with turns and airs. Then he panicked, packing pure closeouts in the last twenty with priority. He finished with a total heat score of 2.43 and not a single make in forty minutes of surfing clean 3 - 8 foot Pipe/Backdoor. The excuses were ready to go: he'd felt really sick yesterday with a fever (though felt fine today), he was out of rhythm etc etc. Now with Sunset, Portugal, Bells, and Margies ahead, all weak events for the Champ (he only got out of the Round of 32 at one of those events last year - a Round of 16 finish at Portugal) the Goat is presenting a very large and imminent danger to the WSL.

If he fails the cut, what do they do? Make or Break: Season 2 is heavily invested in Slater and he remains a golden ticket as a draw for the Woz.

A Surf Ranch without Slater competing at his own Tub is unthinkable, which means Woz will be forced into a series of embarrassing wildcards. The precedent has been set with Owen Wright and Sally Fitz - some talent is deemed too big to fail. Slater is now cannon fodder when he's away from Pipe and Chopes, and he just lost early at Pipe and has a mid-season cut between here and Tahiti.

Is this how he is going to go out?

Some face-saving manoeuvre will have to be adopted but there is no easy option on hand, barring a miracle Slater performance at Sunset.

Slater finished 17th, which after 32 starts is his worst Pipe performance (WSL/Heff)

By contrast to the sports psycho-babble of yesterday, today was more aligned with simple, observable reality. Rhythm was key as multiple contestants fell foul of a slow, and damnably shifty, swell. Small Backdoor runners, random Pipe bombs, and all variations of wave in between. Heat totals less than 2 were commonplace.

“There's no science behind it,” observed heat winner Leo Fioravanti after dispatching a hapless Griffin Colapinto. “If you aren't in rhythm it's hard to get into it”.

Jordy identified the high-minded components of his mental game after spiking the best Backdoor wave of the first few heats to defeat Nat Young: "Gardening, surfing everyday, a bit of home maintenance.”

Jack Robinson was even more disconnected from pro sports cliché. "I've been sleepin', getting my energy, cruisin' on Hawaiian time,” he said after an easy win over M-Rod, who managed a heat total of 0.97.

"I've been sleepin'," said Jack, making him possibly the first pro athlete to say that while wearing a Red Bull cap (WSL/Heff)

The morning wasn't without drama as Caio Ibelli withstood an interference call after a mix-up with Zeke Lau. I saw it Ibelli's way who claimed in the post-heat presser that Zeke was “intentionally trying to interfere”. To my eye, Zeke tried to paddle over the top of him on a closeout he had no intention of riding.

Jim Morrison said you cannot petition the Lord with prayer, but that didn't stop Caio from trying, and, no doubt in his mind, succeeding. His single highest score of a 7 for a heavy Backdoor escape was enough to best Zeke's two-wave total.

Who's been a good boy then? Caio drafts another IOU to the big fella (WSL/Heff)

Like Slater, God may be a problem for the Woz to deal with, down the track. The Woz has made clear its disdain for fans but its primary aim of buttering up big corporate sponsors like Apple may come into conflict with the Christian beliefs of a large chunk of its athletes. Apple walks the corporate progressive line - some call it woke capitalism - whilst the athletes may have a different social agenda at play. We've already seen this conflict with Bethany Hamilton and further ructions down the track look likely, no matter how much spin the WSL employs.

Another mixed bag for the rookies. You can get lucky with an easy draw and no-one deserved that more than Liam O'Brien. Minus any chest-thumping or finger-pointing claims, he threaded a few lefts and rights against Ethan Ewing for a very narrow victory, then backed it up in the Round of 16 with a very weak win against Seth Moniz, who basically got nothing. No matter, the QF finish (or better) is a huge fillip for his year. He's smart and adaptable and skilled enough to run on from here.

Rio Waida made a strong heat to beat Connor O'Leary, while Maxime Huscenot threw up good numbers but was bested by Miggy Pupo.

Sophomore Joao Chianca looked solid, if occasionally a little skitzy in his heat wins and finds himself in the quarters for the second year running after putting an L next to both Kanoa and Rio Waida.

Joao on his "undeserved" - his words - 8.67 (WSL/Heff)

Used to be Slater who had the alchemical magic - paddling into anything and transforming it into huge scores. That mantle now belongs to Medina, and JJF to a lesser extent.

Goofies had looked very vulnerable in the opening thirteen heats of the day; prone to getting shut down on clampy lefts and unable to navigate throaty Backdoor caverns.

Medina scratched over a ledge into a double-up and no handed his way through the heaviest pit of the day. No armbar needed. If you see one wave today, go watch that 9.33 in his heat against Jake Marshall.

Gabs relaxes into his highest score of the day, while the claim at the end was a study in contrasts (WSL/Heff)

Jack Robinson was magnanimous in victory after squeaking past Medina in their Round of 16 match-up. He decried meeting Medina so early, said there were many more match-ups ahead this year and struck a tone in tune with what the afternoon had offered up. “Enjoying what today is,” said Jack. “Just kind of surfing”.

The scrappy head-butting for position, paddle battles, and intense competition showed Robbo may be an honourary member of the Brazilian Storm but there won't be any disarming of the Medina method with membership. It could have gone either way. Gabe double armbarred his way through a Pipe set then threw a huge, lofted reverse into the trades, just failing to land on the bolts.

That was the winning wave.

John in the last heat of the day was ridiculous. Once it became clear the pressure was off, he free-surfed and showed he is the best surfer in the world at Pipe, in Hawaii, potentially everywhere bar Lower Trestles, where he's probably only middle of the pack. Meanwhile, Filipe Toledo squeaked through, giggling that his easy draw was creating another inevitability - a back to back World Title run.

I guess if you're Toledo you'd say it's God's plan.

The Woz is no doubt hoping God stays in his lane.

// STEVE SHEARER