6 Can’t-Miss Opening Heats At The Pipe Pro
The heat draw for the Pipe Pro has been posted, the start of the 2024 Championship Tour is only a few short days away, and the storylines are stacked to the horizon. The 11-time world champ and winningest Pipe surfer ever, Kelly Slater, is back. Five-time world champ Carissa Moore is back, but only for this one contest. And then there are the world title defenders and contenders, as well as one of the most dynamic rookie classes we’ve seen in years. It looks like there’s plenty of swell for the opening days of the event, here’s who you’re going to want to watch:
Men's Pipe Pro Opening Heats To Watch
Heat 3: Jack Robinson, Rio Waida, Kelly Slater
An interesting generational clash, Slater comes into the event in the twilight of his remarkable career, Robinson’s at the top of his game, while Waida is still on the way up. The smart money is on Robinson to take the win, but Slater’s been back in the water at Pipe recently and is capable of dropping big scores in the blink of an eye. Raised in Indo, Waida’s a capable tube rider, and with more experience behind him, he’s going to be increasingly dangerous all year.
Heat 4: Griffin Colapinto, Seth Moniz, Ramzi Boukhiam
Fast friends, Colapinto and Moniz are going to put on a show. They’ve been pushing each other since they were kids, have spent an abundant amount of time in the water at Pipe together, and are right in the prime of their respective careers. Boukhiam’s a master heat surfer and is tough as nails.
Heat 7: John John Florence, Caio Ibelli, Jake Marshall
Florence is the obvious favorite here, but never underestimate Ibelli’s ability to bring it against the world’s best. He’s been a fly in the ointment for the likes of Slater and Gabe Medina over the years, there’s no reason the believe he won’t give Florence a run for his money as well, especially if it’s big and messy. Marshall’s also been putting in his time a Pipe over the years and is a solid Backdoor surfer. This one won’t be a walk in the park for Florence.
Women's Pipe Pro Opening Heats To Watch
Heat 2: Carissa Moore, Sally Fitzgibbons, Brisa Hennessy
The last event Moore will surf on the Championship Tour, she has nothing to lose and everything to gain. For well over a decade Moore and Fitzgibbons have been battling one another, but all eyes will be on the five-time world champ.
Heat 3: Caroline Marks, India Robinson, Moana Jones Wong
This might be the most interesting heat listed here. The reigning world champ versus the highly touted wildcard. Both surfers are goofy-footers, so neither has the advantage there, but Jones Wong has largely defined the women’s movement at Pipe over the last several years. The first step in her world title defense, Marks will have to prove herself against a formidable wildcard.
Heat 4: Caity Simmers, Gabriel Bryan, Isabella Nichols
There’s a changing of the guard happening on the women’s Championship Tour, and Simmers and Bryan are among those leading the charge. They could definitely do some damage against the old guard as the event goes on. And Nichols is back on tour after battling for her spot on the Challenger Series. This heat’s anybody’s game, the surfing’s sure to be top-shelf.
30 Years Later, Kelly Slater Is Still The Most Dominant Pipeline Surfer Ever
With more than 25 years of writing about surfing, the ocean and action sports, Jake Howard continues to share stories, profiles and issues that shape the surfing world. One of the premier subject-matter experts in the field today, he's savvy in the ways of print, digital and social media, his breadth of work is expansive. Getting his start writing Surfline surf reports and recording the phone reports for 976-SURF in the late '90s, Jake served as the managing editor for Surfer Magazine in the early 2000s before moving on to launch RedBullSurfing.com and cover surfing for ESPN and the X Games. Over the years, Jake has also enjoyed time behind the edit desk at The Surfer's Journal, as well as the World Surf League, where he worked as the Senior Editor for a number of years. Beyond producing editorial content, Jake has served as a digital marketer and copywriter for iconic surf brands such as Quiksilver, Roxy and Rip Curl. Writing thousands of pages of copy for Surfline, he has deep SEO experience as well. The surf columnist for the San Clemente Times, Jake continues to dedicate himself to the culture and history of the sport through his involvement with the Surfing Heritage and Culture Center in San Clemente.