Watch: Pipe's Midwinter Ball
This Hawaiian season has been characterised by a relatively weak storm track running through the North Pacific, which has limited the number of XL swells but increased the frequency of mid-range pulses.
Since Christmas, the Pipe/Backdoor stretch has responded to these middling swells with days of waves in the 6-12 foot range under light trades.
Last Friday was just another perfect Pipe day with 8-10 feet of swell and optimal winds. Tucker Wooding flew the drone to capture the day's best rides.
Also, The Pipe Masters waiting period begins in five days with favourable swells expected to continue, if slightly tempered in size.
Comments
Meanwhile, the next day at the Bay:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=3187446824859294&set=pcb.53504018091...
nothing quite like Hawaiian waves and the the uber-talented surfers that charge them. I don't like drones in the water - but the angles really put you there...
Bald Eagle burns another one. Can’t let anyone else get any of the attention.
Haha. Why he won’t retire. Has to stay relevant. 11 titles not enough despite the fact it will never be surpassed.
Yeah, you told him, you dead set legend.
Bait the hook and they’ll come to the surface. Another Slater sycophantic vigilante, you must be young. What’s it like idolising someone you don’t even know ? Got a few things missing in your life, need a teddy bear or similar to hold onto . Give me a break
Aw, you're so cute.
not the only World Champ burn out there?
Wonder who he burnt & if anything was said, fella did well to hang in there, maybe give his bald head a slap!
It was Kalani David who said on IG: "I was pissed at the time but Kelly apologized…he’s the man, and also he told me he owes me one."
Wonder why he went? Pulling rank probably.
Wonder who he 'wouldn't' do that too and where he sits in the pecking order at present?
Said he thought the guy was going left, which sounds a bit nudge nudge wink wink, but the pulled back view shows an ant's nest crowd on a day that accommodates Pipe and Backdoor equally, so those things are gonna happen.
Recall him in the nineties doing it unknowingly to someone he shouldn't have. Took one late, pulled in, and as he was spat out noticed someone was riding behind him - Lopez!
Realising the gravity of what he'd done - and imagining the crew on the beach thinking it was a deliberate move to become Top Dog - he paddled straight up to Mr Pipeline and apologised profusely, expecting to cop a mouthful in return.
"Hey," said an unperturbed Lopez, "I know a 100 kids who'd pay 100 bucks to ride behind you."
Nice story. Says a lot about Lopez.
Surprised it doesn't happen more out there really. Must be very stressful surfing.
It’s the little things. Thanks Stu, that little story made my day.
+1.
I couldn’t imagine cracking the line up out there being a unsponsored yet capable surfer. Putting your down and paddling hard while having to focus on everything else around you.
From my Intel Lopez was a bit of a dog when he was younger to took everything for himself so not the saint everybody thinks.
That's awesome Stu!
1 back door wave = 1 day at the ranch?
Wow. 10/10 from me. Great mix of footage, epic waves, surfing and music. Loved the water angle. Would love to see it used more often, especially during the comps.
Great Vid, good song.
This version is good.
Pipe receives so much more media attention than Backdoor and yet in my mind the best of Backdoor is better than the best of Pipeline (longer, hollower, same otherwise). I wonder to what extent the varying levels of coverage is attributable to photographers being able to sit in the channel at Pipe, avoiding closeouts, and capture the images that feed our news channels / hype machine
Pipe bombing....again.
live footage
Yep love this cam been checking it every day for the last few weeks. It's been good....
All this day after day after day of pipe being good has to be a blessing for the women and their upcoming debut at the Pipe Masters. Even if it's packed and they can't get a wave it still gives them the opportunity to be out there in the lineup getting familiar with it, learning where to sit, which ones to go, lines to take etc
Yeah there'd definitely be windows to sneak out onto the inside and scrape into a couple. Would love to see someone like Sally just grab the bull by the horns this year and throw caution to the wind. She's the sorta surfer that could and i reckon she would have learnt alot from her first experience out there.
Some pretty wild sets coming though....guys falling out of the sky. Looks pretty intimidating even on the pulled back vision.
I wonder if that Hawaiian girl Moana is in (edit just checked she is). I'll tip her and Carissa in the final if it's proper Pipe. But yeah be good if Sal got up. Maybe she needs to bust an eardrum first haha
Argh just saw the forecast. Scrap everything. It's Tati's to lose!!!
It's not as if they will be running the women when it's bombing. They will get the small days.
Great vid, cool song, and good to Carissa and Moana both get waves. For the women who are going to be paddling out in the comp you’d have to get out there even just to feel it, experience it, even if you couldn’t find a wave. Who’d want to paddle out there for the first time in a singlet?