Let’s Talk About The Caio Ibelli Interference

Today, in his Round 3 heat at the Billabong Pro Pipeline, Caio Ibelli got his first-ever CT interference against his opponent Zeke Lau. 

It was…questionable. Let’s review. 

A few things to note here:
– Zeke (in white) had priority at the time, meaning he had the right to any wave he wanted. 
– Caio (in red) and Zeke both looked interested in the wave, hence their frantic paddle toward the corner. 
– Caio did appear to be in Zeke’s paddling line, albeit unintentionally

Here’s what the WSL Rulebook says about Priority Interferences (including paddle interferences): 

11.09 – Right of Way using the Priority System
(a) The Surfer with priority has the unconditional right of way and can paddle for and Ride any wave they select. The Surfer’s opponent(s) can paddle for and Ride the same wave in any direction and be scored providing they do not hinder the scoring potential of the Ride for the Surfer with priority.

This is the only rule in the Rulebook relevant to Caio and Zeke’s situation. While the WSL does have specific ‘blocking’ rules, they are focused exclusively on two scenarios: 1. Non-priority situations or 2. Situations where the Priority surfer blocks the Non-priority surfer. There are no ‘blocking’ rules that relate to Non-priority surfers blocking Priority surfers, because that falls under rule 11.09(a) above. 

So, this entire conversation hinges on whether or not Caio ‘hindered the scoring potential’ of Zeke’s wave.

Did he?

On one hand, Caio’s presence did seem to hinder Zeke’s entry into the wave. However, if you’re to believe Caio, that was an intentional move by Zeke.*

“He wasn’t looking for the wave, he was intentionally trying to put me into an interference,” Caio said in his post-heat glass chat. “It was so clear, that with all these camera angles we have, I really thought the priority judge would have enough understanding of the situation.”

Not sure what the judges saw, but us folks at home only saw one (fairly inconclusive) angle.

The other point to consider is whether there were any points available on the wave in question. To my eye, there was maybe a 10% chance Zeke could have gotten into and out of that barrel in any meaningful capacity. Caio took it a step further. 

“That wave wasn’t rideable on any side,” he said to eights of millions on the webcast. 

But in the end, it was the judges’ question to answer: did Caio hinder Zeke’s scoring potential? 

According to the committee of five: yes, he did. And this decision left Caio counting just one score against his opponent — in most CT heats, a death sentence. 

Interestingly, less than 30 seconds after the incident in question, and before the judges had made their decision, Caio swung late on a deep, foamy Backdoor wall — by all appearances, another closeout. Somehow, just before the entire wave consumed itself, Caio broke through the stained-glass curtain and rode away unscathed, throwing his hands in the air to say, “Can you even believe it?” 

On his paddle back out, Caio heard the judges’ ruling on the interference — his arms went up again, this time gesturing, “I can’t fucking believe it.”

With his second scoring wave revoked by the judges, Caio’s previous high score, a 5.83, was not enough to defeat Zeke. But, the men in the high tower threw Caio a bone — a 7.0 on his Backdoor Houdini show put the Brazilian back in the lead with just five minutes remaining. Zeke required a 3.51 to take the win. 

After a long flat period, with just 20 seconds on the clock, Zeke scratched into a small Backdoor peak. He disappeared in the tube, broke through a chandelier, and threw a fist of passion as he escaped through the tent flap. 

First impression: it was right on the bubble. 

The judges debated.

Caio prayed. 

The judges answered.

3.10

And just like that, Caio became the first surfer to win a CT heat with a priority interference since 2019, when Gabriel Medina purposefully dropped in on Caio in the dying moments of their Round 4 Pipe Masters heat — a genius tactical move that resulted in a new bylaw in the WSL Rulebook.**  

 “I was crying the whole time, I couldn’t handle the situation,” an ecstatic and incredibly lucid Caio said to the broadcast team post-victory. “We train so hard to get here. Nobody worked harder than me in the off-season. I’m physically strong, mentally strong, and spiritually strong. I went out there to surf. I don’t want to win on a technicality. I would never try to put somebody in that situation. So I just asked God for justice, and the ocean went flat for a while. I didn’t have anything in my power. If it’s meant for me to make the heat, it’s God’s way.”

After winning his subsequent heat against Ryan Callinan, Caio finds himself in the Pipe Pro finals day for the second year in a row. He’ll face rookie Liam O’Brien in QF2. 

Place your bets here.  

*Like Gabriel, Zeke is one of the few contemporary tour surfers who can claim to have a WSL rule developed specifically after them.

**11.17 Interference Penalty
(b)  If there is an interference that prevents a Surfer from performing on a potential scoring Ride in the final five (5) minutes of a heat, then Interference Penalty 3 will apply. If a majority of the Judges determine that the interference during the final five (5) minutes was intentional, the interfering Surfer will be Disqualified.