* Puerto Escondido (Mexico): 7 M. – 25 FT. | Mark Healey (2015)
* Waimea Bay (Hawaii): 10 M. – 33 FT. | Ramón Navarro (2009)
* Teahupoo (French Polynesia): 10 M. – 33 FT. | Manoa Drollet (2006)
* Mavericks (San Francisco): 12 M. – 40 FT. | Jay Moriarity (1994)
* Belharra (France): 18 M. – 60 FT. | Jamie Mitchell (2014)
* Jaws (Hawaii): 18 M. – 60 FT. | Mike Parsons (2003)
* Jaws (Hawaii): 19 M. – 63 FT. | Aaron Gold (2016)
* Cortes Bank (North Pacific Ocean): 23 M. – 77 FT. | Mike Parsons (2008)
* Nazaré (Portugal): 30 M. – 100 FT. | Garrett McNamara (2013)
* Nazaré (Portugal): 33 M. – 108 FT. | Benjamin Sanchis (2014)
The world’s best surfers return to Oahu, Hawaii, United States, and the legendary Pipeline break for another year of premium big wave action. Kelly Slater, winner of two of the last three Volcom Pipe Pro competitions, looks to defend his title.
Surfers often follow a herd mentality. (Haven’t you noticed that every time you pick an empty beachbreak peak to paddle out at, someone will paddle up right next to you rather than to the identical empty peak down the beach?) For better or for worse, we tend to pick surfcraft the same way: by riding whatever looks safe and familiar instead of experimenting with exotic shapes and materials.
Former aerospace engineer Edison Conner and business wiz Parker Borneman have been doing their best to change that mindset by reimagining the way surfboards are engineered from the inside out. You’ve probably heard of their company, Varial Surf Technology, which made a … More