Barrels at the Volcom Pipe Pro 2014

Volcom Pipe Pro Champion
Kelly Slater fan club
  What a final day at the Volcom Pipe Pro. The rain stayed away, the sun came out, and the swell came in. Competitors from the North Shore like Mason Ho competed against surfers from as far afield as Brazil, France, and Puerto Rico. But the standout of the competition was 11 time world champion Kelly Slater. I lost count of how many times Kelly would disappear behind a wall of water only to emerge unscathed 6 or 7 seconds later. It was no surprise seeing him win the entire competition.

Pipeline claims another board
Mason Ho
  The surfer nipping at Kelly's heels was young Mason Ho. He comes from a very famous line of North Shore surfers. His father is Michael Ho and his uncle is Derek Ho. Mason's goal is to be bigger than both combined.

Pipeline claims another bone
Slater paddling out to victory
  The waves were the best I have ever seen at Pipeline. A south wind was blowing offshore causing the barrels to form and hold open for the surfers. The lefts were huge with spitting barrels and the rights at backdoor had some gems as well.
Monster Set Wave at Pipe
Backdoor Barrel

  Some of the waves were easily 20ft on the face. Guys were standing up clean in the barrels. There were plenty of wipeouts, with two broken boards, and even one surfer carried off to the hospital with a broken ankle. These surfers were making it look quite easy but the conditions were definitely risque to say the least.

Late Drop
  I stuck around for a few hours and saw more barrels than I knew what to do with. It was amazing to see the wave working so well, like in the movies. There were some epic rides and I did my best to capture the action. Luckily, pipeline is a huge wave that breaks abnormally close to shore in very shallow water. Very good for observers on the beach and one of the best waves to take photos of.

  Check out the barrel shots and see some of the amazing action for yourself.

Beautiful barrels



Comments

Post a Comment

Leaving a comment is a great way to provide feedback, ask further questions, and inspire more answers...so go for it.

Popular posts from this blog

Secret Maui Waterfall

Image
  No matter how quick a trip to Maui might be there will be hidden gems found and great times had. After a little snafu with my flight I made it standby to Maui, picked up my rental car, and rushed off to meet my friends on the road to Hana. We met at Frog Pond, one of our favorite swimming holes near the beginning of the road to Hana. After some rock hopping and cliff jumping here we decided to check out the hidden waterfalls at mile 11. I'm not sure what the name of these falls are but there are two of them, each with their own swimming holes. It is just off the highway but separated by lush jungle. A rope swing beckons the adventurous and rocks warmed by the sun give you more than enough reason to while away the afternoon.
Read more

Hidden Ulupalakua Lava Tube, Maui

Image
  High above the crowded beaches of South Maui lies a hidden secret adventure that only those in the know will ever experience. Hidden only a thousand yards or so off a well traveled road around 4,000ft in elevation sits a massive cave which angles slowly down the side of Haleakala volcano. The amazing formations inside and the cave itself were formed by lava, creating an underground tube to transport the lava farther down the slope of the volcano. The same thing can be seen actively happening on the Big Island currently. Luckily this lava tube is all dried up making it much safer to explore. However the loose rocks and obvious cave ins leave some cause for concern.   Part of this adventure is just finding the entrance. This included a dirt road, a jeep trail, jumping an old stone wall, then bushwhacking through dense brush for about tweny-five minutes before finding the lava tube entrance. It was surrounded by ferns, just like the famous Thurston Lava Tube in Volcanoes ...
Read more

Search for Chameleons, Maui

Image
  You never know what might be hiding in your backyard. Here on Maui there have always been tales of people finding Jackson's chameleons in their bushes. The trick is to travel a few thousand feet up Haleakala volcano to Makawao, Pukalani and Kula towns where the temperature is a little cooler and it is a bit wetter, perfect conditions for chameleons.   There are no native reptiles on Hawaii. These beautiful chameleons were released or escaped from the pet trade. Luckily they have not become invasive like many other introduced species, however they have increased in population and seem to be doing quite well in the higher elevation areas. Heidi and I went on a search the other day at our friend's house in Kula and were shocked to find a dozen different chameleons in her side yard hedge. They were mostly at eye level, and were curled up asleep for the night. We found them easily enough with flashlights since they seem to sleep near the outer edge of the hedge at night. ...
Read more