Day one of the 2013 Billabong Pipe Masters, Hawaii

It feels good to be back. Today, with a groomed seven feet splitting the reef, the Billabong Pipe Masters kicked off and, thanks to the duel-heat format (whereby two heats run overlapped) the event powered all the way through rounds one and two. Realistically, today was pretty much a day of support acts. The main event is Kelly Slater trying to lock away a 12th world title and Mick Fanning trying to clock his third. And because they’re both seeded in round three (Mick in heat six and Kelly in heat nine), neither men pulled on jerseys today. When they do, Kelly needs to win the event with Mick finishing worse than third if he is to take the title. But that ain’t to say that today didn’t have moments of brilliance, because it absolutely did. Here’s some of Stab‘s favourite heats:

Ryan Callinan, the kid you first met getting upside down in Kai Neville’s Lost Atlas, had the unhappy task as wildcard of facing Dane Reynolds in his first ever World Tour event heat. However, he played a game of gusto at Backdoor, relentlessly dropping into pigdog barrels but getting pinched. That is, until he found a right that let him swoop in hands-free, grab the rail through the barrel and get spat out for a 9.33. The following wave, similar except smaller and more of a disappearing act, netted an 8.43, and left Dane combo’d. It was a heat that had the commentators dropping “Who the hell is this kid?” for the next 10 minutes.

In round two’s second heat, Gabriel Medina was facing Bruce Irons. It’d been a real Backdoor party all morning with only the odd Pipe gem. But Gabs found one seven minutes in, double-hand stalled through the barrel and threw an unlanded oop for a flat eight. The,, he kept building. The following wave, Gabs dropped into one of the best Pipe waves of the day and stood tall through it, coming out and burying a grab rail hack for 9.67 points. And then on his next wave, the Brazilian pumped through another quick Pipe shooter and hucked another oop, but this time way bigger and stomped clean. It’s certainly worth reviewing int he highlights. “I got a little bit lucky,” said Gabs. “I got three really good barrels and did the air at the end. I was watching the guys always getting big scores at backdoor and had them in my mind. Somehow, I found those lefts and that was such a fun heat. I’ve always watched Bruce and I really respect him. To be surfing with him is a dream come true.”

The following heat, Sebastian ‘Sea Bass’ Zietz was surfing against wildcard Ryan Callinan, who in his first heat had dominated. But Sea Bass wasn’t having that on home turf. The Hawaiian stalled through a feathery Pipe bronco for a 6.17. On his next wave, Bass dropped into a Backdoor drainer that didn’t seem to end. He hammered through, shot out like a boss and clocked the event’s first perfect 10, leaving Ryan good and combo’d. “It was a dream start to the event,” said Sea Bass. “I got one little Pipe wave, paddled back out and it was nice having Ryan instead of one of the Hawaii boys. He let me pick apart the first half of that heat. He didn’t try and battle me too much. Bruce looked at that wave and I don’t know what he was thinking. He probably should’ve gone because he probably could’ve got a 10 easily on it. I just dropped in and the foam-ball hit me and I was on one foot for a second. I put my foot down and was going the perfect speed to get barreled all the way through. That was just a perfect wave.”

Hopefully we’ll be gifted more heats tomorrow. Tune in here to watch live, and catch up on anything you missed today.

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 13.66 def. Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 12.83
Heat 2: Damien Hobgood (USA) 11.27 def. Joel Centeio (HAW) 6.66
Heat 3: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 16.00 def. Marcus Hickman (HAW) 11.67
Heat 4: Kaimana Jaquias (HAW) 16.16 def. Kieren Perrow (AUS) 12.84
Heat 5: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 14.83 def. Kahea Hart (HAW) 11.44
Heat 6: Bruce Irons (HAW) 9.24 def. Raoni MOnteiro (BRA) 7.00
Heat 7: Dusty Payne (HAW) 13.73 def. Reef McIntosh (HAW) 12.84
Heat 8: Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.30 def. Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 8.17
Heat 9: Mitch Crews (AUS) 9.40 def. Shane Dorian (HAW) 7.73
Heat 10: Granger Larsen (HAW) 13.50 def. Kalani Chapman (HAW) 7.66
Heat 11: Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 12.17 def. Ricardo Dos Santos (BRA) 5.67
Heat 12: Ryan Callinan (AUS) 17.76 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 9.77

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Kaimana Jaquias (HAW) 15.67 def. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 11.30
Heat 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 18.67 def. Bruce Irons (HAW) 11.87
Heat 3: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 17.83 def. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 6.06
Heat 4: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 17.20 def. Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 13.43
Heat 5: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 13.16 def. Granger Larsen (HAW) 6.30
Heat 6: Mitch Crews (AUS) 14.50 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 10.66
Heat 7: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 14.17 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.04
Heat 8: Dusty Payne (HAW) 9.00 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 7.24
Heat 9: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 7.34 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 4.40
Heat 10: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 9.70 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 4.27
Heat 11: Adam Melling (AUS) 14.56 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 4.07
Heat 12: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 10.44 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 8.93

UPCOMING BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 3 MATCH UPS:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Yadin Nicol (AUS)
Heat 2: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
Heat 3: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 4: Nat Young (USA) vs. Bede Durbidge (AUS)
Heat 5: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Gabriel Medina (BRA)
Heat 6: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Kaimana Jaquias (HAW)
Heat 7: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 8: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
Heat 9: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Mitch Crews (AUS)
Heat 10: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 11: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Heat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)