From the first heat of the day to the last, the 11-time World Champ was on a mission at the Billabong Pro Pipeline.
As the epicenter of the surf universe and the birthplace of the sport, it’s only right for Pipeline to kick off the Championship Tour. Everyone enters the season with optimism and equal hopes of winning it all. The rookie class is thrown into the fire, the contenders return with one thing on their minds, the women gear up to make history in their first full event at Pipe, and the surf world begins to follow the road to the Rip Curl WSL Finals with wide-eyed curiosity. Pipeline sets the tone.
Santa Cruz mixes Northern California ruggedness with classic surf culture. There’s surf history on every corner and a high-quality wave at the end of every street, headlined by the standout point break Steamer Lane. Hunter Jones and Lex Weinstein link up with local standout Noah “Waggy” Wegrich to surf the challenging and iconic wave, bestow the Saltiest Local award on a pioneer in the women’s surf scene, and of course, evaluate the town’s best post-surf meal on the Burrito-Meter. To round out their time in Santa Cruz, they visit the O’Neill factory and then meet Ashley Lloyd, a local shaper building boards with sustainable materials and helping restore the kelp forests around the area.
An XL jaws swell came in on January 22nd, 2022. The buoy readings were much larger then thought and the waves were pumping all along the north coast’s of hawaii.
Featuring: kai lennny, Albee Layer, Fransisco Porcella, Jojo Roper, Torrey Meister, Ridge Lenny, Tyler Larronde, Keala Kennely, Zane Schweitzer, and Ty Simpson Kane