Veteran surfers say the best way to accurately gauge the size of the winter waves that pummel Oahu’s North Shore is to watch surfers ride them.
“Imagine 6-foot guys dwarfed by waves that are three times taller than they are,” said Lauren Rolland, the Hawaii spokeswoman for the World Surf League, which organizes 10 annual men’s and women’s international pro surfing competitions. “The waves are like freight trains barreling toward shore. They break with such incredible force that the sand beneath your feet trembles and the air is thick with salt spray.”
WSL’s most prestigious contest is the Men’s Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour, which determines the World Champion of Surfing. The last of 11 stops on this tour is the Billabong Pipe Masters, which is also the third jewel of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing held on the North Shore.
“It’s fitting that the tour ends in Hawaii, being that surfing was born here,” Rolland said. “In ancient times, commoners and chiefs surfed, but the best spots were reserved for royalty.”
Hawaii claims surfing royalty to this day. Hailing from Waianae, 45-year-old Sunny Garcia has won six Triple Crown titles, the most in the event’s history. He’ll be making his 30th appearance this year as the oldest athlete on the roster. After the competition he’ll retire from the pro surfing circuit.
John John Florence grew up in Haleiwa with the Banzai Pipeline as his backyard. In 2005, then 13 years old, he was the Triple Crown’s youngest competitor. He won the event in 2011 and 2013 and still ranks among pro surfing’s elite.
The Triple Crown traces back to 1971, when Fred Hemmings — a Honolulu-born former state senator and multiple winner of international surfing competitions, including the 1968 World Surfing Championship — started the Hawaiian Masters at Pipeline. Seeing the success of that event, now known as the Billabong Pipe Masters, Hemmings decided to launch a competitive series on the North Shore.
Thus, the Triple Crown of Surfing was born in 1983. In addition to the Billabong Pipe Masters, it includes the Hawaiian Pro at Alii Beach and the Vans World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach.
Competing this year for a total purse of $1.1 million will be some 170 surfers from 18 countries, including Brazil, France, Japan, Costa Rica, Morocco, South Africa and the United States.
“What makes the Triple Crown really exciting is that there are multiple titles to be won,” Rolland said. “There are individual winners for the three events, the winner of the series and the winner of the Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour, which is the world title.”
The Hawaiian Pro, the Vans World Cup of Surfing and the Billabong Pipe Masters run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the biggest and best four days of surf within a 12- or 13-day window. Current surf forecasting technology can accurately predict conditions as far out as 10 days, eliminating the guesswork of yesteryear.
According to Rolland, the Triple Crown promises nonstop thrills. “It’s a great chance to watch the world’s best surfers ride the world’s best waves,” she said. “Even better, it’s free, and everyone gets the best seats in the house — beachfront — to the Super Bowl of surfing.”
IF YOU GO …
Vans Triple Crown of Surfing
Admission is free. The best viewing sections are in the sun and on the sand, so dress appropriately and bring binoculars, coolers with food and nonalcoholic drinks, and a towel, mat or beach chair to sit on.
Lots at the venues fill up fast, so many spectators wind up parking on Kamehameha Highway and nearby streets. Be mindful of driveways, one-way streets, "No Parking" signs and fire hydrants because police officers will ticket illegally parked vehicles.
For more information, email hawaiicomms@worldsurfleague.com or check out www.vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com.
Hawaiian Pro
>> When: through Nov. 23
>> Venue: Alii Beach
>> Competitors: top 128 surfers in the world
Noteworthy: Ramplike waves allow surfers to perform aerial moves that wow the judges. This area also produces tubes in bigger waves through which surfers can maneuver to garner big points.
Vans World Cup of Surfing
>> When: Nov. 24-Dec. 6 except Thanksgiving Day
>> Venue: Sunset Beach
>> Competitors: 128 surfers. The lineup is not exactly the same as the Hawaiian Pro, although many athletes qualify for both contests.
Noteworthy: Powerful waves break across an area that’s roughly the length of a football field, so one of the biggest challenges for surfers is to stay in position as the water rushes and churns around them.
Billabong Pipe Masters
>> When: Dec. 8-20
>> Venue: Banzai Pipeline
>> Competitors: 36
Noteworthy: Surfers can free-fall 20 feet down waves that are just 10 yards from shore. Day One is the Pipe Masters Invitational, which has a separate $100,000 purse. It features 32 of Hawaii’s best surfers; the two highest scorers compete in the Billabong Pipe Masters with the world’s top 34 surfers.
HIGHLIGHTS
Today
Na Kama Kai Day Haleiwa Beach Park, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The nonprofit organization Na Kama Kai (Children of the Sea) will lead free two-hour clinics for kids ages 2 through 17. The clinics include information about ocean safety and marine conservation, one-on-one paddling instruction and a canoe ride. Walk-ins should arrive at 8 a.m. to register. Call 864-9164 or check out nakamakai.org for details.
Dec. 3
Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau opening ceremony, 3 p.m., Waimea Bay Contest window ends Feb. 28.
Held in honor of the late champion big-wave surfer Eddie Aikau, a crew member aboard the voyaging canoe Hokule’a on its maiden voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1978. When the canoe capsized 12 miles south of Molokai, Aikau attempted to paddle to Lanai on his surfboard to get help. The crew was rescued, but Aikau was never found. Twenty-eight pro surfers, chosen by their peers, compete in the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau, which launched in 1984. The event doesn’t run unless there are 30- to 40-foot waves in Waimea Bay. It has been held only eight times, most recently in 2009.
Dec. 5
North Shore Community Land Trust benefit dinner Mokuleia Polo Field, 5 p.m.
Table sponsorships can be reserved now at northshoreland.org. Individual tickets will be available beginning Nov. 25. Email info@northshoreland.org.
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Cheryl Chee-Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.
