2024 Vans Pipe Masters Day Two — Live Updates, Commentary, And Conjectures
Women’s Round Two to start, Mens Round One to follow.
Click here to read our Vans Pipe Masters preview, here for Day One highlights, and follow along below for updates from everything happening on the beach today. This post will be updated with new insights and play-by-play every few minutes.
While there’s currently no official livestream, you can follow along on social media via @vanssurf, @surfline, and @stab. You can also click here for the heat updates, and here for the full leaderboard
Yesterday afternoon, Surfline sent a Vans Pipe Masters forecast text out to a handful of people:
“On paper, Tue/Wed 17th-18th may be your best bet for good size Pipe/Backdoor. Conditions, however, are looking a bit suspect for much of the time over those days. Note that Mon 16th is also worth keeping a watchful eye on — conditions looking good for at least the AM. Further out for the last days, I fear that Thu/Fri 19th-20th may get too big for Pipe (washing out). Tons of moving parts to monitor over the rest of the event window.“
With anxious consideration of these many moving parts, extra hope was put into the arrival of a new XXM swell today, with squinting eyes and muffin-filled mouths observing an uninspired Pipe lineup just before sunrise.
“They’re seeing the first pulses of this swell in Kauai, and it’s about 4-6 foot over there,” Nate Fletcher said, as the first Backdoor set coughed over the cavernous shelf.
Looking out, on the first glimmers of winter sun filtering through drooping palms, it’s certainly not life-altering Pipeline out there this morning — but it makes sense to get some heats out of the way.
To get through some rounds, they’re shaving a few minutes off the heats — Womens Round Two goes first, with 28 minute heats. Mens Round One to follow, also 28 minute heats.
Because of the rule where each heat will rotate between morning/midday/afternoon, the women who surfed fourth on Day One will surf first today.
Event starts 9am HST. Refresh this page for moment-by-moment updates.
For reference:
- The draw features 40 men and 20 women, with Hawaiians making up about half the roster.Heats of four, each heat surfs three times. The four surfers with the highest-scoring waves across those heats will make it to the final.
- Each heat will rotate between morning, midday, and afternoon to surf in all conditions and maximise their chances.
- Each wave is scored out of 30 (10 points each from three judges).
- No priority, and only your top three waves from your first three heats counts.
- 40-minute, four-person final, where only the top two waves are considered. Vans will announce any priority restrictions for the final, based on conditions.
- The total prize purse is $300,000, with the distribution on the mens and womens side as follows:
- 1st Place: $75k
- 2nd Place: $35k
- 3rd Place: $25k
- 4th Place: $15k
Women’s Heat One, Round Two — Kirra Pinkerton (USA), Anne Dos Santos (BRA), Keala Tomoda-Bannert (HAW), Maluhia Kinimaka (HAW)
First heat, three women in the water.
“Where’s Annie?” echoes a voice around the comp site.
“I guess she’s staying like 45 minutes away and didn’t realize her heat got switched to first,” responded another.
Fortunately for the 22 year old Brazilian-Australian, the format means she’ll get another chance to surf. Even more fortunately for her, she didn’t exactly miss out on firing Pipeline.
Of the three women in the water, Kirra Pinkerton is the only one finding tube time, collecting three consecutive head dips — the first of which (7/30) nudged her ahead of Ewe Wong into fourth on the leaderboard, and the second of which (7.3/30) pushed her past Sophie Bell into second.
After a brief wait, with two minutes on the clock, Keala Tomoda-Bannert finds the best wave of the first heat — a Backdoor double-hand-drag funnel which delivered the 23-year old from Kauai a swift vision, 14.5 points, and first place on the leaderboard.
Women’s Heat Two, Round Two — Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW), Vahine Fierro (PYF), Nora Liotta (HAW), Kiara Goold (PYF)
On days where the waves are small and slow, two metrics become most apparent — competitive acumen and local knowledge.
Bettylou Sakura Johnson has both, and it shows.
Her and Caity Simmers are the only current CT surfers in the draw with multiple seasons under their belt, and Bettylou’s ability to magnetize waves in a tricky lineup is shining today. After slicing an Aints canvas for a 9.9/30, Mayhem’s newest team member wove through a glimmering Backdoor funnel and dropped a downcarve hammer. Best wave of the event thus far, a cacophony of beachbound cheers, 23 points, and first on the leaderboard.
Within moments, Bettylou scratches her way back to the lineup and whips on another shallow horseshoe, this time blasting three finners for 17-points.
None of the other women find a wave better than a six, while Bettylou finishes the heat with a 49-point three wave total and a firm foundation at the top of the rankings.
Women’s Heat Three, Round Two — Caity Simmers (USA), Moana Jones-Wong (HAW), Zoe McDougall (HAW), Chesney Guinotte (HAW)
Two years ago, Caity Simmers’ shortboard was a 5’3. Now, her standard shortboard is a 5’5. Lately, however, she’s been riding 5’7s because she wants to try longer rail lines.
Today? She’s riding a 5’8 Borst because she ‘just wants to get barreled.’
And, on the first wave of the third heat of the day, she did just that — masterfully reading a strangely paced Backdoor wave over the gnashing teeth of the tropical shoal.
The defending World Champion adds another 21 points to her total, settling into her second place spot, just behind Bettylou.
Though every scorable wave up to this point has come from rights, Pipeline continues to honor it’s storied relationship with Moana Jones-Wong — delivering her two sparkling lefts. She capitalizes on both for a 15.5 and a 20.3, quickly leapfrogging Caity into second.
Fact: During the heat draw, Moana chose to be in Caity’s heat because she wanted to push herself against the World Champ.
Women’s Heat Four, Round Two — Vaihitimahana Inso (HAW), Erin Brooks (CAN), Sophie Bell (ZAF), Eweleiʻula Wong (HAW)
“Erin is gonna be a world champ for sure,” Moana Jones-Wong told me yesterday. “She rips so hard and she never gives up.”
Unfortunately, the five-foot-tall blonde-haired ball of impending destruction was somewhat inoculated by the terrible lull which dragged through the entire Heat Four.
She did enough with a backside wack to retain her spot at the upper end of the leaderboard, but not a single proper opportunity came her way. The next heat, of course, opened up with a cleanup set.
Women’s Heat Five, Round Two — Luana Silva (BRA), Coco Ho (HAW), Sierra Kerr (AUS), Milla Coco-Brown (AUS)
Coco Ho is currently off Mayhems and riding her own XO Coco boards, toting a couple of quads with heavier glassing than normal around the comp site. Is there a better proof-of-concept for a surfboard entrepreneur than testing boards in Hawaii?
“I’ve been lucky to get customs since I was maybe 15,” Coco told us. “But, the average girl walking into a store can’t always get a custom 17.75 wide board. When girls would ask me what boards I ride, I’d realize the boards I was recommending them just weren’t available off the rack.
“The point of XO is to have stock standard female dimensions. In snowboarding, you have that, there are men’s boards and women’s boards, with the biggest difference being the width. I want to tailor all the dimensions for females, so girls can go buy a twin fin off the rack without it being overly sized.”
In other news, reportedly, Sierra Kerr is surfing with an injured shoulder.
“I went to the doctor,” Sierra said. “They said I have a strained bicep tendon or something, and my rotator cuff is all seized up. I’ve been resting on the off-days, but I surfed this morning and it kinda hurt. Just gotta push through it.”
Coco and Sierra caught the two best waves of the heat — Coco a tube turn combo for 15.50, Sierra a trio of turns for a 13.3.
Coco jumps into 8th, Sierra into 4th.
Men’s start now. Waves still very medium sized and almost exclusively rights.
Men’s Heat One, Round One — Makana Pang (Haw), Jamie O’Brien (HAW), Tosh Tudor (USA), Kaulana Apo (HAW)
At 20 years old, Tosh Tudor already has the barrel-IQ of a veteran. Which explains why, when his name was selected on the night of the heat draw, he put himself in Heat Five. Midday Pipeline is never a bad call.
So, why is he in Heat One? Well, Vans decided to offer the final name pulled at the heat draw a gift — deemed ‘the White Elephant.’ After all of the heats had been set, whoever’s name came out last was given the opportunity to put themself in any heat they wanted — and boot someone out.
At the end of the night, it was Benji Brand who’s fateful name was pulled from the bucket, and after a thoughtful pause, he bumped himself into Heat 5 and dropped Tosh in the perilous, all Hawaiian Heat One.
“I got fucked man,” Tosh laughed afterwards.
Little did Tosh know, he’d end up surfing midday regardless.
Apparently, JOB said Ben Gravy could have half his prize money if he caddied for him.
And, watching the New Jersey YouTube mogul carry JOB’s boards down the stairs, one might have expected Pipeline to bless it’s most talented elder. Unfortunately, the heat was remarkably slow. Tosh harvested a handful of insiders, earning himself a head-dip and a lot of kickouts, while Makana Pang waited patiently to showcase some rare goofy-footed Backdoor lip evasion — finding two funnels for a 17 and an 11 out of 30.
For his trouble, last year’s second place finisher notches himself solidly at #1 after the first Mens heat.
Men’s Heat Two, Round One — Noa Mizuno (HAW), Croby Colapinto (USA), Barron Mamiya (HAW), Kalani Rivero (HAW)
“Honestly, it was pretty bad Pipeline out there,” Crosby laughed at me after coming in from this heat. “Good vibes out there though.”
Kalani Rivero replaced Seth Moniz who pulled out with an injury, but got very minimal action. Barron Mamiya collected the two best scores of a remarkably slow heat — both narrow Pipe tunnels — to jump his best friend Makana Pang into first.
Men’s Heat Three, Round One — Mason Ho (HAW), Kauli Vaast (PYF), Cam Richards (USA), Russel Bierke (AUS)
“…the painting was the painter as the poem is the poet, that every choice one made alone– every word chosen or rejected, every brush stroke laid down or not laid down– betrayed one’s character,” wrote Joan Didion.
Mason Ho’s first wave in this heat was a near perfect depiction of his character — a straight air, chop-hop, straight air combo on a chest high Pipe left that felt like it belonged more on Ho & Pringle Productions than in a Pipe contest.
16 points for his flair, followed up with a 14-point Backdoor tube-turn combo, drops Mason into first, while Kauli Vaast drives his boulangerie cart through a miniature racetrack to get a 15.20. It’s enough to get the Gold Medalist into fourth, but given the rapidly shifting nature of the early round leaderboard, you can’t imagine the Tahitian will remain there.
Men’s Heat Four, Round One — Noah Beschen (HAW), Zeke Lau (HAW), Balaram Stack (USA), Noa Deane (AUS)
As four of the most aerially prestigious competitors take to the water, the blustering easterly air wind ratchets up three notches, topping out around 20kts of galeing trades.
The chop hops continue, with Noah Beschen, Noa Deane, and Balaram Stack all exchanging blows. Beschen gets the highest score to start — an 8/30 — for a full rotation hop, while Zeke Lau waits for a proper set.
Though it comes to him, it also clamps on him, leaving the CT vet still waiting for a proper score. Noa Deane lofts a throwaway air into the stratosphere, and Noah Beschen follows with a club-sando style blowtail which, despite earning a healthy dose of cheers from the crowd, earns him a mere 10-points. Beschen into 5th, while the rest of the surfers in the heat will be anticipating more fruitful future rounds.
Men’s Heat Five, Round One — Legend Chandler (HAW), Imaikalani Devault (HAW), Benji Brand (HAW), Koldo Illumbe (IND/ESP)
Legend Chandler is the youngest name in the draw on the mens side at 17, and he thoroughly dominated this heat. It was, as most heats have been today, a windy affair with many lulls.
Legend found every good wave — amounting to two Backdoor tubes and a few heavy backfooted turns. Not only does the kid from Kauai continue to prove his profound connection with Pipeline, he jumps 10-points ahead of Mase into a clear 1st, and collects a bag of Vans cash on the beach.
Nobody else found anything of consequence.
Men’s Heat Six, Round One — Eala Stewart (HAW), Lucas Godfrey (HAW), Kyuss King (AUS), Harry Bryant (Aus)
“I still have that Gravelle,” Harry Bryant told me a few nights ago, referring to the board he scored a 30/30 on last year. “I definitely want to ride it, but I’ve been getting some other boards from Hawaiian shapers too.”
Today, he’s riding a 5’5 Outer Island quad. “Sick for punts but good in anything,” he told us. “I’ve been riding this one a lot.”
The quad guided him through a dreamy funnel during one of the wind’s more offshore moments, earning him 12-points, and starting one of the most exciting flurries of the day.
Eala Stewart weaves through a perfect left double up, before finding the deepest, most technical tuberide of the day on a chandeliering right. 19 points for the first and 23 points for the second gets the local boy (who just rode one of his best Pipe waves ever), into second on the leaderboard.
Harry backs him up with another tube, but the Australian’s efforts do little to stop the top of the leaderboard being sieged by Hawaiians. All four of the Top Four are currently from the islands.
Men’s Heat Seven, Round One — Torrey Meister (HAW), Alan Cleland (MEX), Makai McNamara (HAW), Jake Maki (HAW)
Al Cleland Jr, the man who was merely one spot away from qualifying for the Championship Tour and who represented Mexico with ferocity at the Teahupo’o Olympics, continues to display his heavy water prowess.
“It’s funny because, if you ask my friends, they’ll tell you how much of a pussy I was growing up,” he told us in a recent interview. “I was terrified. I grew up surfing this little rivermouth ripbowl on a bodyboard, but I wanted nothing to do with the real waves. Then over time, I just got more and more comfortable.
“It was only like three years ago when I got super confident out there on big days, paddling. I think they call that exposure therapy,” he laughed.
After Makai McNamara wove through a quick vision, Al packed the most perfect tube thus far, one-upping Eala and collecting the highest score. He then backed it up with a playful Pipe wave to slot himself in first, just ahead of the Hawaiian entourage.
“Little Al’s a beast,” said Harry Bryant, on Nate Florence’s livestram. “He’s so good out here. I was actually in Puerto Rico a couple of weeks ago and he went missing in the city like midway through a QS. For a couple days. He reckons the last thing he remembers is having a few rums on the beach after his heat. And then he woke up in a hotel room in San Juan like three hours from where the comp was.”
Men’s Heat Eight, Round One — Lungi Slabb (AUS), Mikey Wright (AUS), Koa Smith (HAW), Guy Sato (JPN)
Though we were excited to see how the mentorship between Lungi and Mikey would play out in a heat, pretty much nothing happened for the entire half hour.
Mikey Wright packed a clamshell, Koa Smith did an air reverse, and everyone sat and watched the wind blow the tops off the waves for 20 minutes.
Men’s Heat Nine, Round One — Kuio Young (HAW), Kainehe Hunt (HAW), Billy Kemper (HAW), Kala Grace (HAW)
The first of two consecutive all-Hawaiian heats.
When the contest directors and surfers met on Day One to decide whether they would run the men to follow the women, Billy Kemper led the charge against running, saying they should wait for days when there was a better angle swell.
“Better to run in bad conditions late in the window than bad conditions early inthe window,” was the general sentiment.
Despite the lulls, he gets his wish today — and he leads the charge in this heat.
Following a tube with a few turns, he started a flurry of tubes from Kainehe ‘Long Grom’ Hunt and Kuio Young. Judging by his body language and the mood of the ocean, I half-expected Billy to continue the trend of first place leapfrogging.
Sadly, the ocean went deathly flat until the Florence brothers paddled out, leaving Billy in 11th and the rest of the heat on their knees.
Men’s Heat Ten, Round One — Nathan Florence (HAW), Ivan Florence (HAW), Eli Olson (HAW), Koa Rothman (HAW)
The hardest charging Florence brother donned his yellow rashie today and paddled out with fire in his belly, collecting a duo of Backdoor visions and hopping the foamball into 5th — just five points below the Top 4 cutline.
Ivan backed him with an enviable Pipe racetrack where, exiting the tube, he lofted his trio of fins into the atmosphere for a stylish shifty air. 19 points, and Ivan takes home the only other keeper score of the heat.
Eli and Koa got an 11 and a 10 respectively, leaving them both still needing a keeper score.
And with that, the day is over.
This forecast is a kaleidoscope of confusion. The back of the waiting period could be huge and onshore so we’re going to wake up, look at it and make the call. See you tomorrow. Maybe.
End of day mens and womens leaderboard live below:
