Three elite surfers grabbed three prestigious titles Saturday in bombing, perfect surf at Pipeline.
An ASP-estimated crowd of 10,000 watched as Australia’s Mick Fanning surfed to his third World Tour championship in the 10- to 12-foot waves.
Florida’s Kelly Slater, an 11-time world champion, and Hawaii’s John John Florence shared the spotlight on the epic day.
Fanning was locked in a battle with Slater for the world title, needing to place third in the Billabong Pipeline Masters, the last event of the tour season that also serves as the finale of the Vans Triple Crown.
And that’s what Fanning did. He navigated Pipeline barrels for high scores with time running out to beat both C.J. Hobgood in the fifth round and Yadin Nicol in the quarterfinals. Those two wins guaranteed that Fanning would place third at worst, wrapping up the world title.
"I knew if I (got a good) wave I could do it, but to have two heats in a row like that was uncanny," Fanning said. "It was wild. The way I had to win it was crazy, you can’t even write it that way. It was fictional.
"I am stoked, you know. At the start of the year, I just wanted to have a fun year and do my best. To come out on top is a dream. Winning this title was so emotional, I just broke down. (Defending world champ) Joel (Parkinson) and Taylor (Knox) just picked me up and I just fully broke down and started crying. It was rad. It just zapped me."
In the semis, however, Fanning fell to Florence, who moved on to face Slater in the Pipeline Masters final.
Slater came into the event needing to win it to take his 12th world title, and he controlled what he could by downing Florence for his seventh Pipe Masters title, 16.37 to 15.90.
Had Fanning faltered, Slater would have had his dozen. In the final 10-event World Tour count, Fanning compiled 54,400 points to Slater’s 54,150. Parkinson was a distant third with 48,450.
Slater was on a rampage throughout the event, with numerous 9-point rides and a 10-pointer in his semifinal win over Parkinson.
"You could see I was pretty emotional before this heat because of last year, someone asked me, ‘You are toward the end of your career, what else do you want to do?’ and I said ‘I want to surf in a final against John John at Pipeline,’ " Slater said. "The amount of excitement we get from being in the contest when the waves are good and everyone is here and the energy is on the beach, I don’t think there is anything like it in the world."
With his runner-up Pipe Masters finish, Florence earned his second Vans Triple Crown of Surfing title in three years. He was a long shot going into Pipe, but early losses by Triple Crown leaders Michel Bourez and Fred Patacchia helped Florence get into position.
The Triple Crown winner is the surfer with the highest combined finishes in three North Shore winter events — the Reef Hawaiian Pro, the World Cup of Surfing and the Pipe Masters.
"It was a dream come true. I am so happy right now," Florence said. "I am stoked to make the final and be in the final with Kelly, and the waves have been fun all day. I just want to say thanks everyone for coming down and supporting. I felt really good coming into this event. I didn’t know I had a chance at the Triple Crown, so to actually come and win it is cool."
