E-Lo Picks Up The Mic And Calls it On After Five Day’s Of Deafening Silence - Stab Mag

Live Now — Episode 3 Of Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico

475 Views

E-Lo Picks Up The Mic And Calls it On After Five Day’s Of Deafening Silence

The Pipe Masters begins (again) at 8am.

news // Dec 17, 2020
Words by Stab
Reading Time: 2 minutes

After five days of radio silence from the WSL, following the indefinite suspension of the Billabong Pipeline Masters due to positive COVID tests within the WSL leadership and staff, today a presumably still COVID-suffering Eric Logan picked up the mic to announce heats will hit the water at Pipe tomorrow at 8am. 

The WSL is officially off suspension tomorrow, and before we get into what exactly happened behind the scenes over the last five days, here’s brass tax, and a “potential” schedule for tomorrow: 

Men’s only (women still unconfirmed “officially” for Pipe, but according to all women’s CT surfers we spoke with today it’s gonna happen Friday, which is fucking rad). 

Three Elimination round heats hit the water at 8 am before 40-minute overlapping heats for the entirety of the Round of 32, and ideally three overlapping heats for the round of 16, with no breaks between rounds and a hard stop at 4:20pm (for obvious reasons?). 

The forecast for the morning looks a little wooly, but certainly “contestable” given there’s two days left in the waiting period. Which means it’s going to be a long day. 

So here’s how we got here, and the reason behind the WSL’s silence on almost all platforms over the last five days. There’s no playbook when it comes to local governments and business and unforeseen circumstances during this pandemic, and given the massive hurdles and triggerpoint sensitivities around running events in public at the moment telegraphing your theoretical or hoped-for potential moves only sticks your neck out. Too much confidence in your own ambitious plan, and you’re not taking the pandemic seriously. Raising red flags publicly with local government departments isn’t going to win favors either, and surely we’ve seen how any and all undercooked meat gets thoroughly torn apart by the wolves in the comments section (not to mention a target on their back moving forward into the rest of the year). 

Today, all staff, crew, and individuals with accreditation within the Pipe Masters were tested throughout the morning. All surfers, both men and women CT surfers, arrived at noon for CPR tests which were received this evening. We’re told no tests came back positive amongst surfers. We imagine this played a massive part in their decision to go tomorrow.

The whole 2020 cliche of navigating uncharted territory is a cliche for a reason. Finishing the event(s) was the hoped-for goal. Presenting regular media updates was anything but a priority, and we know from first-hand, off-the-record accounts from multiple sources from every department within the WSL that the last five days have been absolute manic, confusing, and truly unprecedented.

The classic day missed at Pipe and E-Lo’s sickness will continue to be fodder for trolls but there’ll be a Pipe Master in 2020, and that’s what we’re all here for. 

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Correction: J-Bay All Foreplay, No Climax

Slim pickings on Day 1 of the Corona Cero Open J-Bay 2025.

Jul 11, 2025

What Do Hollywood, Surf Lessons, Michael Jackson And Traction Pads Have In Common?

A Stab Interview with Teva Dexter, the man behind surfing's hardest new hardware brand —…

Jul 10, 2025

Surf100 Challenge Series Presented By Pacifico: Episode 3

"The tribe has spoken," Dane Reynolds pronounced, and a surfer's torch was snuffed.

Jul 10, 2025

How Josh Ku Nearly Died Trying To Cross From Ulus to G Land by Hydrofoil

“If someone finds me dead at least they can find my phone and know what…

Jul 10, 2025

Expect No Kiss, All Climax At The “World’s Most Perfect Pointbreak”

A Corona Cero Open J-Bay 2025 preview.

Jul 9, 2025

SEOTY: Liam O’Brien stars in ‘Friction of Perception’

"Hopefully I don’t come across like too much of a peanut."

Jul 8, 2025

10 Shapers To Watch In The Next 10 Years — Part One

“It’s like a drug empire, man. Cut the head off the snakes, and more will…

Jul 7, 2025

Mason Ho Joins Ritual Vision, Releases Remix Of Greatest Hits

Dion Agius riffs on the eyewear brand’s U.S. expansion, Ritualistic Tendencies, and the new stars…

Jul 7, 2025

Is It Time For A New Judging Format?

We have a modest proposal — a WSL head judge disagrees.

Jul 7, 2025

Luke Thompson Turns Last Year’s Priority Disaster Into Ballito Gold

+ earns himself a wildcard into Jbay.

Jul 7, 2025

Fiji Has Its First Professional Surfer, And He’s Unbelievable

16-year-old James Kusitino’s incomprehensible tube lounging leads to a deal with Former.

Jul 6, 2025

Laird Hamilton on The Limitations of Being a Purist, Invention vs. Ownership + Why He Never Had a Sticker Deal 

Untold stories from his How Surfers Get Paid interview.

Jul 4, 2025

When Surfer’s Eye Is Actually Cancer

Erin Campbell's brutal journey from surf camp dreams to chemo drops, cryotherapy, and surgical horror.

Jul 3, 2025

Surfing’s 2025 Q2 Report

An assessment of surfing's vital signs throughout the second quarter of 2025.

Jul 2, 2025

What Actually Happened to Occy’s Mad Max Plunger Pool In Yeppoon?

Surf Lakes’ brass talks: internet hecklers, the unplugging of the plunger, and the Tom Curren…

Jul 2, 2025

Poor Goofy Foots 

Data shows that the world is stacked against goofs — they even make 15% less money than…

Jul 1, 2025

Britain’s First Wavepool Has Closed — What Really Happened?

Bankruptcy, social media hackings, debts unpaid — and yet, reopening looms.

Jul 1, 2025

Watch: Was Matt Meola’s Air Actually Better Than Hughie’s?

Watch the full Swatch Nines highlight reel and decide.

Jun 30, 2025
Advertisement