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Mr. Pipeline

Lane — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:56:02 +0000

There is not just one Mr. Pipeline, but a variety. They march up and down the path everday in a variety of ages, shapes and gender and they all have claim to their names for the wave, they are slaves to. Jamie O'Brien however has certainly defined his own genre to the name Mr. Pipeline and recently added another victory to the title. JOB took the title at last weeks Volcom Pipe Trails, a WQS held in some pretty hurrenduous surf. Anthony Walsh of Austrailia placed 2nd. The waves were solid 10 ft for the first two days and nutz. Close interval swell with slight onshore winds and a more northerly angle made it look hard just to make it out to the lineup, but by midday conditions inmproved and a few Mr. Pipeline's were scoring good rides. The final day dropped, but had beautiful conditions. That night was small so Red Bull held a night surfing session at Pipe with huge flood lights on the beach, but there was so much Vog that it was still hard to see. I think Jamie had a big party that night and their bonfire was still burning the next morning and the jetskis still on the beach. This morning was one of the best days we've seen in a while, still a lot of north closeouts, but at least somewhat organised compared to most of the past month. The crowds are in full effect w hungry Mr. Pipeline's who haven't got their feed yet this winter. The boogies are set to start their contest February 17th and they are chocking up the line up as well especially since you can fit so many of them together on one peak. Looks like we will all have to share these February swells before the winter goes to sleep. Hopefully we will all enter spring with our Mr. Pipeline Pit's of pleasure.

Volcom Victory @ Sea Pipe Pro

Lane — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:51:13 +0000

When I first turned up at Pipe this morning before sunup there was a solid 15 foot plus set, but after that it was pretty much 10-12 ft. The waves were an absolute mess, no barrels, not even anything that looked like a wave. The hardcore handful of boogies went out with Anthony Walsh and then one other surfer paddled out, but it was bad. Even Anthony who makes the impossible waves, possible was having a hard time finding a ride, maybe he was trying to fake out the contest. The boogies weren't getting much either, it was bad, doesn't get much worse, but its been like that for most of the last couple months, so its on. The contest is on. They may have to take the guys out to their heats with jetskis after ever ride because otherwise they may only get one ride per heat. It was starting to drop and cleaning up a lot right when I left but still far from decent. A lot of guys who should be in this event are not, local guys like Tamayo and Myles are on the waiting list. Stephon from Brazil who puts himself into some serious pits on big days said he was like 40th on a list of 70 or so alternates and who knows with conditions like today some may be eager to give up their slot. To my knowledge, the local Pipe event used to get four days and now that they have cut it back to three days, some key guys are left out. As much as I hate contests, I hate it more that locals guys don't get into these events. This event deserves another day! Dave Wassel said we are going to earn our money out here today. One thing about Pipe, it can change and get good real quick so for the sake of all the guys who put it on the line out there, I hope it does. Good Luck to all the guys out there and to Volcom for holding their first Pipe event.

When Small is Good.

Lane — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 06:21:45 +0000

Sorry about the delay in blogs. For most of the week I was so frustrated with the surf, I could barely think about it, much less write about it. I kind of gave up surfing other spots a few years back, trading it all in for the Pipeline, but this exceptional year has been anything but exceptional for Pipe. We have waited for two years for one swell large enough to just pull all the sand out in front of the break and we finally got that, but swell after close interval swell has proved to be a bad pattern for the Pipeline. Some mornings its more like the wave formerly known as Pipe. The sandbar from Gums has moved so far into Pipe that it looks more like Gumline than Pipeline. Other days there are sandbars inside of the wave that make it look like 5 waves in one and it is very dangerous. There is hardly ever a channel to get out anymore and the current is so strong from the sandbars that you have to paddle the whole time just to stay in the line up. I think even the best Pipe surfers are still missing anything close to an epic Pipe ride this season. Our best two swells were still from late September and early October.

Most seasons we wait for the waves to get big, but this season I have been waiting for it to get small because I am hoping a few days of small waves might solve this sandbar problem we have had at Pipe for the past two months. I heard Thursday evening was like Kirra on the sandbars and yesterday was really fun too. By tonight it was pretty manini, but I wish there was one more day of small waves for those sandbars to relax. This afternoon, it looked at least like the bars inside Pipe were a little less menacing, however I still got stuck in a current line out there this morning and it was only 3 ft.

It has been a crazy season. I just hope there are some presents for us Pipe soldiers in the next couple months before its all over. Looks a little bit funky with weather patterns and and more NW swells in the near future, but February has proved to be exceptional at Pipe in the past so my hopes are high even though there will be back to back contests.

The Volcom Pro Trials for the Pipemasters started their waiting period today and the Boogies kick off February 17th. All I can say is what kind of local trials is it when Tamayo Perrry is 20th alternate? What does a man have to do to earn his place even for the trials? Tamayo is definitely one of the most dedicated, tried and true surfers at Pipe for more than a decade. I mean there are all these contests and all these permit restrictions, but what is the point when the restrictions that are suppose to be for the locals to surf, prevent the locals from surfing in their own event. Pitiful. That whole thing needs to be revised. I think they should take a whole month, run every event at once and run every day if they half to and just get it over with. The worse part is one crew coming in and another crew going out like a broken record all the way till past the surf season mid April. Our beaches suffer from it and look like they are eroding away. So over it. I mean what ever happened to surfing for the sake of catching a good wave?

Here is my husband's gallery from Massive Monday II, January 11,2010. He was calling it Everyman's Day since there was such an absence of Pros in the water. Early looked pretty eerie out there with slight onshore winds, close interval swell and some bombs that looked like they were breaking in a pretty weird section of the Bay. It cleaned up later and the regulars got their feast without any contest or any craziness going on. I guess there was one near close out set that caught everyone out and had a bunch of broken boards all tangled up, I can't believe noone died! I even found a spot right in the parking lot on the point that morning, no problem. A pack of guys are featured on Surfine from that morning riding Himalayas. Looks beautiful out there. I guess now that spot will start getting more crowded too.

Hail to Waimea, the Great

Lane — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:53:52 +0000

Everyone is excited about the huge surf, but if you don't surf Waimea, its kindof like you don't surf. Props to the Bay crew who have waited years for this kind of consistency. Last year the the Bay broke only once for a couple hours and once onshore, the year before I remember it breaking one afternoon in April. This year we have had 4 days, each which would have been a pinnacle of any season and January is not even pau yet. Today's swell and the day before the Eddie were the biggest with sets up to 25 ft but conditions for both were unfavorable with a slight northerly onshore wind chopping it up. I would say there were 25 ft sets early this morning, but that was most likely the peak. Seems like it is dropping and cleaning up already 8:30am. Besides Waimea however, most spots have not had their hayday yet. Pipe has been a big mess for the most part of the month. Its like sandbars are going inside out and coming at you from every angle while you paddle in a current trying to find the usual Pipe peak. A few dedicated kids who stay at Pipe have been the heros so far this year paddling out in every possible window between big Waimea days, but most of us sit sulking for more Pipe approriate type swells with longer intervals. Its a bit of a bummer when everyones raving about great waves and your spot is not providing, but now I know how those Waimea guys felt for all those years. Go get em. Hopefully Pipe soldiers will get their share next month. The Shootout is still on hold. They could have run Friday and Saturday, but the waves were pretty bad at Pipe those days. What I like about the Shootout is that they wait for good waves or dont have it at all. Thats how all contests should be. Ace might be cringing a bit that he let today go for the Northshore Tow-in, but it is pretty choppy right now and might drop a bit by noon. I guess if there is any season to wait for big and perfect, it might be this one.

WILD WILD WEST

Lane — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:25:37 +0000

West swell with west wind. It looks wild washy and warbly, but since its the first swell in a couple months that is just one straight west there is something really apealing about it. There is a nice big channel by Pipe instead of the relentless sandbar thst has been there lately. I think this swell finally pushed the sand over to Ehukai. Good thing because I was starting to forget what its suppose to look like. Thats right, Pipe is a reef break not a shore break. Last night had a couple bombers breaking all the way across from third reef Pipe pass outside Poops but besides that it was mostly 10-15 ft and still that same size this Wednesday morning at 7:45am. The mornings have had a little window of calm winds, but it gets really ugly before midday. Noone paddled out yet today and the wind is getting stronger, it has a bit of south in it right now but it feels like it is starting to swirl around. I guess it should be north wind by tonight and another big west swell coming in with the front. Pat Caldwell says more west swells than normal this January so we should score at some point. At least the landscape is starting to look good. We love west! A cool reggae band from DC called Soja is playing tomorrow night (Jan 7) at Pipeline. They are said to be currently rated in the top ten on ITunes.

SW Swirl

Lane — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:42:38 +0000

Ive been stacking the little Beetle full with boards every morning because there are so many conflicting surf reports. Today it doesn't matter how big since the SW winds are trashing it anyway, but its not even 6 ft and NWS is calling it 10-16, the same size they called the last swell that had 12 ft sets. Are they going to give us back our buoy 1 because the backup buoy 51011 seems a little off. Maybe its on furlough. Its been pretty junk lately, but it seems like the crazy holiday crowds have left at least for the most part and we are starting to feel like we can breath again out here even if it is a bit voggy. The Backdoor Shootout is set up here at Pipe and the waiting period starts today. Too bad these SW winds are spoiling it because that big west is on the way. Ace Kool's Northshore Tow In Event is on hold as well, but they are hoping for a monster swell so we will see how it all pans out this week.

Holiday Crowds

Lane — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:27:38 +0000

Waimea surfers had a very Merry Christmas. There was a 15-20 foot swell that was only riddable at the Bay. It was a little too west however for the Bay. I heard there was one big closeout and a lot of guys broke their boards. I guess you could say the lifeguards were busy that day, matter of fact it must be a nervous holiday for them. I have seen some total tourist looking guys trying to paddle out at big Pipe with small boards and they can barely paddle, good thing the shorebreak has been narly enough to keep most of them from making it out. I see some of them getting sucked all the way down past the lifeguard tower not realizing that they are still just a few feet from the sand going nowhere. Whateveas. The sandbars have been so shallow and the current so strong, even some of the locals have found themselves in a bit of trouble at times. Pipe had a couple windows right after the big Christmas swell which dropped quick, but it was pretty mixed up until yesterday morning when it actually started looking like the Pipeline we all know for the first time in a while. Besides the Pipemasters which had a couple decent days, its been too north and too much sand at Pipe. Yesterday was beautiful 6-8 and more west than the past swells, but there was still a lot of backwash and sand pinching most of the good lefts. The rights were holding up a lot better. Plenty west swells lining up so it looks good for the future. The crowds have been nutz out here. People from all over the world are here to try their skills at the Pipeline, the problem is, if they don't have skills some other folks might suffer the consequences of being landed on by them cartwheeling down the waves. A lot of Japanese surfers around who are always respectful and seem to fit in with Hawaii culture. Brazilians and Californians are also here in droves. Traffic is still jam-packed. Its crazy! The roads don't seem to be cluttered with surfers, but observers. I am starting to wonder if the observers and photographers got us outnumbered these days. Everyone thinks they are a photographer now days and why not, we all have iphones that take pictures which can be sent around the world in a blink. The problem is they take all the parking and the surfers who they want to watch surf, cannot even find a spot to get out to the line up. Yikes.

Jamie O'Brien surfing Wamiea River Mouth Dec. 26, 2009

Mini Session Off The Wall Dec 27, 2009 Sunday

Get Into the Mix

Lane — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:04:30 +0000

It was 10-12 with a couple 15 footers this morning. Sunset was washed out but Pipe had a handful of boogies. Anthony Walsh was the only surfer and got a sic barrell early which kind of called everyone out. Plenty guys out practicing for the local contest which kicks off late January, but its wild and the sandbar is dumping from all the north swells. The waves have been pretty mixed up lately. We had some NE winds which turned to trades, but trying to surf with three different swells from different directions is not much fun. The boogies don't mind too much, looks a the first pack is in for their contest in February. The Triple Crown shipped out pretty quick. Should be big Christmas Day!

Taj Burrow

Lane — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:41:44 +0000

There were a few decent days of surf during the Pipe Masters, but today's final was not one of them. I don't think locals would have called any of the days good Pipe, but there were some sick barrells especially at Backdoor. Massive Monday pulled out a good patch of sand at Pipe, but the north component in those big swells and the ones prior left a good portion of it right in the channel at Pipe. When there is a lot of sand patches like that Pipe can be more like a beach break than the reef break we are all accustomed to. In a contest, I always think more beach break type waves and barrells give an advantage to some of the guys who surf those types of breaks all the time. In the quarter finals that kicked off this morning at 9am, we had one Hawaii guy left and there were no good lefts for Flynn Novak to advance over Kelly Slater who was making the most of the Backdoor. At the end of the day, he ended up in the final against Taj Burrow who joyfully claimed his first Pipe victory. John John was a complete standout in the competition and sure to be a future Pipe Master.

Its kind of crazy how the contest crowds grow every year. On the one hand your stoaked people are finally taking the interest in surfing we have always needed to win higher purses and get larger sponsorships, at the same time it takes away from the good ole days when it was just the real core guys coming to check out the contest. I miss those days when you could actually find parking and have plenty of room on the beach to watch waves with friends, all who surfed the break and understood what was going on. Those were the days, days that seem long gone. Everyone used to want to see the PipeMasters in good waves because there weren't so many contests and there seemed to be more locals involved. It was fun to watch our guys go against the worlds best. Now we just cant wait for them to get it over with and haul em all out. You try to have a good attitude, but it just gets to be too much at times. I mean honestly, I feel like I am caught in the middle of an MTV Spring Break episode and who wants that in their backyard. Its just noisy, even in the mornings of complete silence you can feel the restless energy of so many who just want a piece. They want to take their piece of the Pipeline, but will never get it because part of the passion you get from the Pipeline is an element of peace, a peace with the ocean even in its great exploding power. You can't get that in a contest setting.

But its over now, and I feel like we are all taking a deep breath. I guess we should get a cold front and then it will all blow over before going back to normal, well at least somewhat normal for winter. I don't know if the weird sandbar there in the channel is ever going to move, more north swells coming with north wind by Thursday to push it all right back there and close out the lefts. The hardest thing about surfing Pipe is having patience. You have to wait for the contests, you have to wait for the sand to get right and then you have to hope for the west swells that we haven't had since Halloween, then it finally gets good and you have to go fight the huge crowds who have been waiting all that time with you. Hopefully this year will be worth it!

Check out my husband's Waimea gallery from Massive Monday and the Eddie

Pipe Contest is On

Lane — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 01:43:39 +0000

Today kicked off the first day of the PipeMasters! The early morning started out with beautiful conditions and 6-10 ft, but kind of mixed up swell because of the sandbars churned up from the big swells. Backdoor was the focus for most of the day but Liam McNamara was able to find some sick Pipe rides to get through his heats. It was one of the only mornings I didnt paddle out all year. There was like a caotic mix of Californian menehunes and Hawaiian warriors fighting for just a few lefts and not much of a channel. There were no days for the guys to practice except the day right before the big swell so they were all out there this morning full throttle. A couple more swells behind this one which is great for the contest and great for us because by then it should set up perfect for some epic Pipe days.