Pipeline

To a surfer just saying the words North Shore conjures up images of monster waves, iconic beaches and legendary competitions. Hell, you don’t even have to say, the North Shore of what island for those in the know to know exactly what you’re talking about. The other day I was up on the North Shore, walking along the beach at Pipeline. Banzai Pipeline is perhaps the most famous of the surf beaks on the shore. The barreling waves are legendary, especially in the winter season when the wave heights jack up to epic proportions. It was a few days prior to the start of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing – one of the biggest pro surfing comps of the season. All the top pro were already on the island getting ready for the competition. It was a beautiful mid-week day. The waves were overhead and there was about 3 people on the beach. I sat there for about an hour and watched the best of the best session these awesome waves. It wasn’t for competition, it wasn’t a film shoot – these guys were out there just having fun. They were sitting in the line up laughing and cheering each other on. It was one of those moments that you experience when your traveling that you can never plan for or even expect to happen – you just have to be there when it unfolds.