Billy Kemper, the burly-built gun-slinger from Maui, has claimed back-to-back victories in the WSL Pe’ahi Challenge.

Billy triumphed over arguably bigger names, like Greg Long, by adopting a gutsy, barrel rider’s approach to a wave that screams ‘run for the shoulder’. Kemper’s strategy at Jaws might be summed up as follows –­­ put yourself under the ledge, take off steep and deep, wrestle one of those bumper bar rails into the face, pull-in under the lip and hold on.  For his completed barrel ride, Kemper nailed a deserving perfect ten, which was doubled to twenty under the big wave tour’s scoring system (Two waves count with your highest wave score doubled).

Runner-up, Greg Long, and Grant Twiggy Baker both negotiated deep, behind the peak drops, and found perfect lines across the towering Jaws tee-pees, but the classic big wave approach was never going to trump barrel rides on waves of similar size. Kemper’s propensity to put himself in the most critical situations was made even more outrageously apparent when he pulled into another gaping hole with twenty seconds to go. Although this time he didn’t emerge from the barrel, the effort was almost of an equivalent scale to his previously perfect ride and the judges saw fit to reward him with a 9.07.

Kemper’s courage and skill was easily matched by the competitors in the women’s event. No one was quite sure what to expect from the girls, many of whom were riding Jaws for the first time, but it ultimately proved to be one of the most riveting contests ever hosted by the WSL. Paige Alms, who is a regular in the Jaws lineup, airdropped to victory, with Justine Dupont securing a surprise secondplace finish and Australia’s Felicity Palamateer finishing a commendable third.  

Paige Alms on her way to victory in the inaugural Women's Pe'ahi Challenge.

The Pe’ahi Challenge is fast becoming the Pipeline Masters of the WSL Big Wave World Tour. Hopefully fans get a chance to see some of the other waves on the nascent circuit really turn on, but today will be remembered for Billy Kemper’s fearless barrel riding, the girls shifting the paradigm for heavy wave performance and Jaws reasserting its status as the ultimate test for big wave paddle surfing.