Two years of waiting was apparently all Kelly Slater could handle. In a dream final with a frothing lineup, Slater captured the Volcom Pipe Pro title on a perfect Tuesday afternoon at Pipeline. The greatest of all time hadn’t won
Two years of waiting was apparently all Kelly Slater could handle. In a dream final with a frothing lineup, Slater captured the Volcom Pipe Pro title on a perfect Tuesday afternoon at Pipeline.
The greatest of all time hadn’t won a contest since this very event in 2014, but he kicked off his 2016 season with a win that is far more about pride and prestige than points or cash. Conditions were ideal all day and it brought out the best in some of the sport’s elite. The final featured former Pipe champs Bruce Irons and Jaime O’Brien, along with youngster Makai McNamara.
Slater did some of his best work in the final and took the top prize with a 16.56 total. He wasn’t necessarily the dominant surfer of the event, but he continued to find the right waves at the right times and won the last four heats he surfed.
Irons pulled a few rabbits from his hat just to advance as far as he did. He continued that same approach in the final as he remained patient, but the few waves he found clamped down on the exit and Irons finished fourth.
One of the day’s most intense moments came before the final even got underway. While surfing his semifinal heat, McNamara was called for an interference as he and Dusty Payne each paddled for a big wave. McNamara went Pipeline and seemed to assume Payne was going Backdoor, but Payne began to head left and then bailed on the ride. The interference decision came from the judges and McNamara became a huge underdog, now only able to use a single wave score.
He showed his frustration in the water, but used that energy to drop into an insane barrel shortly thereafter. Getting super deep, McNamara hid from the beach for an eternity and came flying out, giving the judges an emphatic gesture instead of a typical claim. He got a perfect 10 for that wave and, amazingly, finished second behind O’Brien with that 10.00 total to move into the final.
John John Florence, who has won this contest four times already, lost his quarterfinal heat to McNamara and Payne. Now at 23 years of age, the phenom showed off his comfort and style with four nine-point rides in his first two heats. His elimination was definitely a stunner because if anyone could be considered a heavy favorite in a field this huge and talented, it would be Florence.
But Slater, O’Brien and Irons wouldn’t be far behind. Seeing them all grouped in the final gave this event the finale it deserved. There were big names, big scores and a pair of McNamara wipeouts that should redefine the word “commitment.”
Koa Smith, the star of the early rounds, was unable to keep that momentum going and was eliminated in round four. Sebastian Zietz was knocked out in the same round, each earning a 17th-place result. Gavin Gillette was out a round earlier for 33rd place.
The end of the Volcom Pipe Pro signifies the end of the Hawaii winter surf season. The Qualifying Series will make its way to Australia where the Burton Automotive Pro gets going on Feb. 21. The Championship Tour then kicks off on March 10.
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David Simon can be reached at dsimon@thegardenisland.com.
