The first light at Pipeline for Day 2 of the 2015 Volcom Pipe Pro revealed a new 6-8+ foot swell which arrived fresh off of yesterday’s Lei Day. The winds were now cooperating, competitors were psyching to get in the water, so just like that, the event was called ON! The day began with Heat 5 of the Round of 96, and after 9 hours of exciting competition, the day ended strong with Heat 7 of the Round of 64.
Picking up right where we left off from Day 1 of competition, Mother Nature was by our side keeping the bad winds at bay and providing enough Pipe and Backdoor barrels to keep things interesting! Maui’s Ian Walsh, a big wave specialist, took advantage of the pumping surf and managed to get things started with a crazy 9.5 ride. Meanwhile, Leo Fioravanti had a brutal wipeout and left the beach in an ambulance with a suspected back injury. We will update everyone on his status as the details are released, but our thoughts are with him and we wish him a speedy recovery.
As the morning turned to afternoon, the swell improved tremendously. Local boys Nathan Florence and Mikey Bruneau took things to another level and got some of the most spectacular tube rides of the day. Mikey Brunea finished off with the highest total heat score of the event with a 15 point ride. Volcom Japan’s Shun Murakami rolled into a nuts-o Pipe wave and had the whole Volcom house shouting on their feet. Other standouts of the day included Ian Gouveia, Jamie O’Brien, Dusty Payne, Kiron Jabour and Evan Geiselman.
Day 2 of the 2015 Volcom Pipe Pro is in the books and you won’t want to miss a minute of Day 3 as the first two heats of the day see some talented up-and-comers, in addition to Pipe masters. Heat 8 will feature John John Florence, Bruce Irons, Yago Dora, and Seth Moniz, then straight into Heat 9 with Kelly Slater, Parker Coffin, Dale Staples, and Kamalei Alexander. Tomorrow’s forecast sees potential for some pumping surf, and if we’re lucky, we’ll all have the chance to see epic, super bowls!