Nathan Florence, Pipe wake-up call, Hawaii

First heat of the Volcom Pipe Pro this morning, Nathan Florence, brother of John, strolls 100 yards outta his yard and straight into the 9.23 pictured here. With swell in the six to 12 foot range, cheers from the beach, while enthusiastic, are barely audible over the roar. And that ain’t all: “The ambulance was already there from the first heat,” says photog Spencer Suitt, who fired this shot of Nathan off. “As one of the warriors had to be brought to the beach with some kind of neck injury.” More on that soon. Reckon this contest is exciting? Go find out just how much so – watch it live, here, now.