The iconic drop-to-barrel ride of the Banzai Pipeline was not the death-defying monster it could be yesterday, with wave-face heights coming in at 6 to 8 feet for the opening day of the Billabong Monster Energy Pipeline Pro on O‘ahu.
The iconic drop-to-barrel ride of the Banzai Pipeline was not the death-defying monster it could be yesterday, with wave-face heights coming in at 6 to 8 feet for the opening day of the Billabong Monster Energy Pipeline Pro on O‘ahu. But despite the absence of Goliath, the Davids still dominated, with local lifeguard David Wassell, 34, producing the highest heat score of the day — 16.75, and Mexican Pipeline’s David Rutherford coming up with the highest scoring tube of the day — 9.6 points out of 10.
It was precisely the small, fickle nature of yesterday’s mixed batch of swell that produced the challenge: shifting the take-off zone into super-shallow water while demanding a more intricate weave to successfully ride the tube.
The results proved to be as random as the peaks that appeared from Pipeline to Off-The-Wall, with former event champion Tom Dosland (Maui) and revered Pipeline Master Derek Ho (Hale‘iwa) being eliminated in their opening heats. In contrast, renowned big-wave riders proved to be some of the toughest to beat despite operating outside of their usual element, among them Santa Cruz’s Peter Mel, and locals Wassell and Pancho Sullivan.
Round 1 was run to completion yesterday, along with the first three heats of Round 2.
Kaua‘i’s Gavin Gillette, Evan Valiere, Roy Powers and Bruce and Andy Irons have yet to surf.
Two more days of competition remain for this, a 3-star rated Association of Surfing Professionals World Qualifying Series event. Competition will resume today, waves pending.
