The Hawaii surfers at the front of the pack to win the Triple Crown title all made it through their heats yesterday in truly desperate waves at Pipeline. With time running out to finish the last contest of the season and bad weather in the forecast, officials would have sent surfers to paddle in circles on a lake yesterday.
Fortunately, the 2- to 5-foot waves offered contestants occasional deep tube rides and phenomenal lip snaps and floaters in conditions that would have been considered prime at many contest sites around the world.
But the Pipe Masters has become synonymous with thrills and chills in big, gaping, body-wrenching barrels at the Banzai Pipeline, while yesterday's competition was held in friendly little waves at Backdoor Pipeline.
The contest started with possibly the most emotionally wrenching heat of the day, with brothers Michael and Derek Ho and Aussie Luke Egan jousting for the top two finishers to reach the next round.
When it became apparent that one of the brothers had to go down, Michael paddled to shore with three minutes left in the heat, sending Derek and Egan on to round two.
Although Kelly Slater already has claimed his fourth world title, he surfed yesterday as though determined to add to his treasure trove by claiming a third Pipe Masters victory. But shy Kauai surfer Braden Dias had Slater on the ropes by virtue of a brilliant ride that scored a perfect 10, and Slater needed to magically pull out a 9.2-point ride late in the heat to pass Dias.
Hawaii surfer John Shimooka attacked the waves as though his life depended on a victory, and in a sense it does. Shimooka needs a good finish in the Pipe Masters to requalify for the elite World Championship Tour next season, and yesterday he blazed down the line on the rights at Backdoor, hitting sections at warp speed and launching through the air to float over sections.
Incredibly, when Shimooka caught a deep, long barrel on a rare left at Pipeline, the judges awarded a measly score several points less than they gave for his lip-snapping rights.
Shimooka was just one of many surfers yesterday who delighted in slapping the safe waves silly with lip bashes and multiple rebounds, as if paying Pipeline back for all the beatings it has passed out in big surf over the years.
Slater will have to content himself with another possible Pipe Masters title, as he is out of the running for a repeat of last season's Triple Crown victory. But Sunny Garcia and Derek Ho are prime to win their fourth and fifth Triple Crowns, while Kaipo Jaquias still is in the lead to win his first such honor.
Shimooka would love to pull off a doubleheader, earning another year on the world tour while winning his first Triple Crown title.