2024 Vans Pipe Masters Day Four — Live Updates, Commentary, And Conjectures
Third reef sets, massive first reef double ups, and some Finals to run.
Click here for Day One highlights, here for Day Two highlights, here for Day Three 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
The courage of the freesurfers who paddled out to Pipeline in the dark this morning cannot be understated.
The contest staff arrived today, squinting through sleep and the first nuzzles of caffeine towards ultra-clean third reef sets. Between them, a handful of evil first-reef double ups loomed in the foreground.
By daybreak, 20 surfers were in the water. By 7:45 AM, closer to 60 people were hoping for a slice of the fear pie.
With the Women’s Final and Men’s Round Three to run, an extensive conversation was had this morning.
Erin and Caity wanted to run, while Moana and Bettylou opted to wait for a bit more sand to move, hoping the swell might clean up a touch by afternoon. It was a gamble, considering the variable wind forecast and increasing swell.
“It’s not gonna get any smaller out there,” says the Hawaiian Water Patrol, as Harry Bryant burns some incense and plays tranquil music in the front yard.
Men’s Round Three to start.
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
Men’s Heat One, Round Three — Noah Beschen (HAW), Zeke Lau (HAW), Balaram Stack (USA), Noa Deane (AUS)
All four of these surfers were in the water at sunrise, and all four of them are notorious for finding incredible waves on difficult Pipe days. The heat began just as the first tendrils of sunlight began trickling into the lineup.
Balaram, with his trademark front pad, packed a closeout to start, and Noa Deane followed him.
Though a flurry of huge waves rumbled through the lineup, shaking the ground and sending whitewash nearly to the stairs, none of them quite landed on first reef correctly.
“Yeah, there’s some sets that are just hitting it perfectly,” said filmed Layne Stratton, as he packed up from shooting the freesurf. “Definitely a lot of North angled ones, and the sets that cap on second reef are kinda overloading first reef. Still some crazy ones, just gotta wait for ’em.”
The entire heat passed without a consequential wave being ridden.
Men’s Heat Two, Round Three — Legend Chandler (HAW), Imaikalani Devault (HAW), Benji Brand (HAW), Koldo Illumbe (IND/ESP)
It looked like it was going to be the same story in Heat Two, until about sixteen minutes in, when a glistening two wave set piqued the interests of Koldo Illumbe and Legend Chandler.
Koldo, the Indonesian-Basque goofy foot, opted for the first one — securing the first tuberide completion of the day for 13.5 points. Legend followed him, packing a substantial closeout.
During his warm-up this morning, Legend had his boardshorts blown off and snapped a board. On the cleanup set which followed his closeout effort this heat, he broke yet another board.
Five minute later, an orchestra of whistles rose from the beachside houses, as an ominous first reef ledge hurtled towards shore. Atop it, a minuscule green man was splashing and paddling, barely hanging at the top of the lipline in his efforts to join the oceanic momentum. At the final moment, Benji Brand clambered to his feet, swinging off the bottom and up into an impossibly warbling section. Silence on the shore, a collective pause, before the South African burst into daylight, torpedoing himself past the exit and celebrating into a closeout. 29 points for Benji Brand — not enough to put him in the Top Four, but more than enough to go home happy.
Coming into the day at 6th, it was apparent that Legend Chandler, as the youngest surfer in the draw, still had something to prove. In the waning minutes of Heat Two, after replacing his snapped board with a borrowed board from Billy Kemper, he calmly stroked into an enormous wedge and slid himself beside the wobbling curtain. As the wave huffed, he stood triumphant, taking 25 points for his troubles and planting himself in first place.
Men’s Heat Three, Round Three — Eala Stewart (HAW), Lucas Godfrey (HAW), Kyuss King (AUS), Harry Bryant (Aus)
Word has it, Kyuss King is at home with the flu.
I would be too.
In all seriousness though, he apparently tried to surf yesterday and couldn’t even make it out the back. Seems like a handful of surfers have been really sick the past few days.
Heat Three started with Eala Stewart, paddling full tilt into the apex of an evil first reef wedge.
After listening to a playlist of the Allman Brothers before his heat, Harry Bryant followed with an airdrop of his own, barely making the drop and pulling up into the rainbow vapor of an already breathing cavern. He followed the pocket ride by sprinting to the shoulder, hopping over the double up, and backdooring a second foamy tube. 18.8 points, plus some dopamine for the crowd pleasing affair.
Lucas Godfrey followed, pinning the accelerator through a few time-warp Pipeline sections, narrowly catching the guillotine as he attempted to sneak into daylight.
Men’s Heat Four, Round Three — Torrey Meister (HAW), Alan Cleland (MEX), Makai McNamara (HAW), Jake Maki (HAW)
According to the Florence-cast, Jaws is firing right now. Pretty nuts to be running a Pipe contest on a Jaws day.
Maui resident Torrey Meister probably doesn’t mind.
Heat Four of the morning was slow, with a cleanup set quickly rearranging the lineup. It was a long wait until waves were ridden — and an even longer wait if your name is Al Cleland, who needed just 11-points to reclaim his spot in the Top 4.
Jake Maki drew first blood, with a line-drive bomb which sent him careening over the foamball, past the reef, into the sandbar — but left him unable to find an exit.
With five minute remaining in the heat, Al Cleland faded deep on a perfect looking peak. As he took off, it looked like he’d gone too deep, and the wave spit without a glimpse of his green jersey. Seconds later, with not a moment to spare, Al burst into the light, shoulder back, swagger cranked up to 12.
Needing just an 11 to go to fourth, the pride and joy of Mexican surfing notched a solid 28-points — rocketing himself to first.
Jake Maki fearlessly packed another second reef roll-in closeout, and the heat was over.
Men’s Heat Five, Round Three — Lungi Slabb (AUS), Mikey Wright (AUS), Koa Smith (HAW), Guy Sato (JPN)
“I pretty much just have a 6’6,” chuckled Lungi Slabb, as I chatted with him yesterday. “We’ll see if that’s big enough.”
As he and his mentor Mikey Wright took to the water, the ocean was flexing — no doubt making a 6’6 feel like floating atop a fragile sapling in an apocalyptic tsunami.
It felt like a heat of almosts — Koa Smith packed a few waves that would’ve been 30-point rides had he made them, Guy Sato soul arched through one pocket ride and did an awkward backflop after trying to soul arch another, and Mikey Wright packed a dastardly Backdoor closeout.
And then, in just two waves, the heat turned on it’s head.
Two-hand dragging off the bottom, Guy Sato pulled up into a perfect corner and got blown to safety. It was a crazy wave, but it’s significance was quickly dwarfed by the following lump.
On far and away the thickest wave of the morning, Koa Smith narrowly found a chipshot, which sent him furiously pumping behind the 8-ball on an absurd freight train. Looking into it, he disappeared, before sneaking under the axe-blade, with both hands to the heavens.
The beach explodes, with Selema Masekela and Harry Bryant leading the patio-shaking cheers.
Deservingly, Koa collects 30-points — a perfect ride.
Less than five minutes later, he backs it up with a proper 25 point barrel (which felt playful in comparison) to put himself at first on the leaderboards.
Koa returned to the beach to a standing ovation, snapped surfboard in hand, and started praying to the ocean.
Nathan Fletcher said the perfect 30 was one of the best best Pipe waves he’s seen in years.
Your new Men’s leaderboard is:
- Koa Smith — 72.2 points
- Al Cleland Jnr. — 70.4 points
- Legend Chandler — 60.9 points
- Ivan Florence — 58.3 point
Nathan Florence, Billy Kemper, and Mason Ho sit in 5th, 6th, and 7th — and all have yet to surf.
Men’s Heat Six, Round Three — Kuio Young (HAW), Kainehe Hunt (HAW), Billy Kemper (HAW), Kala Grace (HAW)
After lending his board to Legend Chandler — who took his spot in the Top 4 — Billy Kemper took to the lineup, attempting to retake his spot in the Finals.
“It’s kinda too big out there,” said Koa Smith. “But, because the period’s so long, the in-between ones are sick. It’s just a waiting game though.”
Some heats involved more waiting than others, and Heat Xix was one of those. Kala Grace found a perfect one, kickstalling into it and earning 13 points, but the heat never really kicked into gear.
In the dying 30 seconds, Billy raced through a solid 10-foot wedge, but couldn’t find the exit. The chief TENŌRE ambassador bows out of the draw, and the heat is over.
Men’s Heat Seven, Round Three — Nathan Florence (HAW), Ivan Florence (HAW), Eli Olson (HAW), Koa Rothman (HAW)
If you had to look at the heat draw and point to the most exciting heat, you’d pick this one every single time.
Though Nathan has been too busy with his pirate broadcast, apparently Ivan has been receiving some mental coaching from John John.
11-minutes in, the youngest Florence brother started the scoring, still in 4th place, with a stand tall 16-point ride. Koa Rothman backed him up with a slightly smaller 12, as a ruffle of wind began baring it’s devilish grin.
Next it was Nathan’s turn, dragging himself through a fluffing Pipe bowl, gathering 22 points and jumping past brother Ivan into the Top 4.
Not to be outdone, Ivan immediately followed, fading hard on a wavering left, before once again standing tall. 24 more points for the best-bearded Florence and he jumps into third, joining Nathan and knocking Legend out of the Top 4.
Eli Olson and Koa followed once again, both charging but neither leaving a dent in the leaderboard.
- Koa Smith — 72.2 points
- Al Cleland Jnr. — 70.4 points
- Ivan Florence — 65.9 points
- Nathan Florence — 65.8 point
Men’s Heat Eight, Round Three — Noa Mizuno (HAW), Crosby Colapinto (USA), Barron Mamiya (HAW), Kalani Rivero (HAW)
Despite winning the Pipe portion of the Vans Digital Triple Crown a few yers ago, Crosby has been getting absolute donuts this event. Up to now, he’d caught literally one wave — a point which he’d laughed about. Today, he packed a few but couldn’t quite find that rhythm he found out here a few yesrs ago.
Defending Pipe CT winner Barron Mamiya had no such troubles, finding a trio of technical backside visions. Unfortunately, none of the waves were enough to get him out of comboland. His fourth and final effort might’ve done the trick, but he got clipped at the very last moment.
Noa Mizuno and Kalani Rivero both collected consolation prizes in the form of six-foot tubes, and the heat was over.
Men’s Heat Nine, Round Three — Makana Pang (Haw), Jamie O’Brien (HAW), Tosh Tudor (USA), Kaulana Apo (HAW)
“That last heat I could’ve gone behind Jamie on the 27,” recalled Tosh. “But I kinda just had to let him have it.”
This heat, Jamie needed two solid scores to back up his massive 27-point ride. He started with a hail mary, hucking himself into a lurching second reef roll-in that spat so hard it almost knocked a drone out of the sky. The second section was, however, far less kind. It clamped him and left him still needing a mid-20 to make the final.
Tosh finally got his chance at a proper one this heat, and made good on the offering of 17-points. Despite the dreamy vision, it was Makana Pang who stole the heat, mad-dashing through a backless orb for 28.8 points and starring in the best drone shot of the day.
Men’s Heat 10, Round Three — Mason Ho (HAW), Kauli Vaast (PYF), Cam Richards (USA), Russell Bierke (AUS)
Seems like the general sentiment of surfboard size today has been between the 6’6 to 6’10 mark.
“Fuck, I’m riding a 6’6,” Russell Bierke told me, as he applied sunscreen before his heat. “It might be a bit short, but it seems like the good ones are doubling up a lot, so too much length could be hectic.”
The final Men’s heat of the qualifying rounds is filled with guys who you’d back to leap over a foamball, but they all need at least two solid scores to make the final — even Mason Ho, who started the day in 5th.
Russell, Mason, and Cam all began with valiant efforts, all racing through waves which stretched just too fast towards the sandbar.
The first make of the heat came from Kauli Vaast, who took off switch (backside) on a proper Pipe wave — jumping back to goofy as he got spat into the channel. 24.5 points… well rewarded for the switch effort, which once again begs the question — why don’t more surfers take going switch seriously?
“When it’s really big, heavy, and washing through, these are the days Cam does the best out there,” said Cam Richards dad, just before this heat.
Following Kauli’s switch wave, Cam airdropped into a perfect horseshoe and stood tall — getting spat into the channel with 26 points added to his tally.
Kauli followed him with a very similar effort, and closed the distance on him and the impending Final. Unfortunately, the Gold Medalist couldn’t find a third score, and the Men’s final was set.
- Koa Smith — 72.2 points
- Al Cleland Jnr. — 70.4 points
- Ivan Florence — 65.9 points
- Nathan Florence — 65.8 points
Women’s Final —
Caity Simmers, Erin Brooks, Moana Jones-Wong, Bettylou Sakura-Johnson
The biggest board Caity brought to Hawaii was a 6’3, so she borrowed a 6’6 off Zoe McDougall — a Pyzel that was originally made for Jai Glindeman.
“I just want to stay busy out there, because I’m on a board I’ve never ridden before.” said Caity, before the heat.
Caity is the only woman in the final who turned down the ski on the paddle out, and she was the first one to catch a wave — sliding into a perfect Pipe tube for 19 points. You wouldn’t even be able to tell she was on a new board, except for the fact that she slipped off on the kickout and got sucked over the falls.
Early in the Final, Moana get a head-dip for 7-points. Word has it that the matriarchal saint of Pipeline is also battling a flu.
Not to be outdone, about halfway through the hour-long final, Erin Brook flipped underneath a mean looking ledge, confidently making the drop and casually placing her four foot frame in a triple overhead closeout. 16 points for the sacrificial effort, putting her in second, just behind Caity.
“That was fucking game-changing,” shouted Holly Wawn.
“Somebody get that girl a bag of cash,” followed Selema.
To follow, Caity sent it on a sketchy looking left, snapping her board and returning to the beach to grab her 6’2 Arakawa.
Erin quickly backed up the closeout with a perfect runner, getting a swift tube for 21 points.
Despite Bettylou and Moana’s subsequent efforts, nobody could match Erin’s scores.
The newest CT surfer and Fiji Pro Champion adds another notch in her incredible year, collecting $70,000 and a whole lot more momentum for the dawn of her blossoming career.
Erin said she’s gonna eat a lot of sugar and have a pizza party tonight.
Men’s Final —
Nathan Florence, Ivan Florence, Al Cleland Jr, Koa Smith
By the end of the women’s final, the wind had torn the lineup to shreds, leaving very little glory to be squeezed out of a deteriorating ocean.
To start, Nathan Florence quickly found two waves, a right and a left — a 15 and a 12. It was a showcase of his comfort at home, even with a wind-demolished lineup.
30 minutes passed, nobody caught a wave, and the conditions continued devolving.
50 minutes passed, and still, nobody else caught a scorable wave.
Nine minutes left, and Al wacks a few crumbly sections.
Eight minutes left, and Nate somehow finds a proper Pipe wave, further cementing himself in first with 26 and a half points. As the clock counts down, the beach begins chanting, and Nate’s family of friends gathers at the base of the Pipe stairs. As you’d expect, his brothers chair him up the beach.
Congratulations to the mot barreled pirate broadcaster on the planet, Nathan Florence — your 2024 Vans Pipe Master.
