According to Chris Cote’s hyperbolic commentary Kanoa Igarashi is a man ‘possessed by a dream.’ The Olympic silver medalist slipped out of the top five late last year and will be hell-bent on going one better in 2022.
Igarashi’s first wave at Pipe was a statement. On one of the biggest lumps of the day he showed complete faith in his ability, descending a vertical wall with a hint of freefall, hucking the rail into the face and double pumping through a massive chamber. The icing on the cake was the limp-wristed kangaroo paw exit.
However, while Igarashi’s 9-pointer was the highest single wave score of the round at that point, he was most definitely upstaged by Seth Moniz who could have won the heat with throw-aways. On multiple occasions Moniz deftly released his hand from the rail mid-barrel to increase the degree of difficulty. Do the judges reward these hands-free tactics? When it comes down to a Pipe barrel duel then one assumes they are considering the nuances. It would be cool to hear the judges talk us through how they distinguish one barrel score from the next and exactly what they are looking for. At this level the distinctions can be minor but there has to be a way to separate the scores.
When quizzed about the secret to his rail-release tactics, Moniz paid tribute to his Tokoro rides.
“Tokoro shapes the best Pipe boards on the North Shore. It feels like I can do anything I want.”
The man with the best hair in surfing, Carlos Munoz, may have been a distant third in this heat, however he was still a joy to watch. There is a wonderful, slack-limbed nonchalance in the approach of the Costa Rican, who toiled for years on the QS before finally getting a start on the CT. Munoz has a tough road ahead but he is one of the most likeable guys on tour and hopefully he finds a rhythm.
Jack Robbo had just watched John John Florence blast past Jadson Andre and Joao Chianca. Florence gave them a start and then reeled them in with a couple of eight-plus rides.
It was a marvelous opportunity for Jack to paddle out and steal the limelight. Everyone knows that John John has been ordained the chosen one at Pipe but Robbo has something of a rep out there too.
Unfazed by the presence of Kelly in his heat and perhaps determined to upstage John John, Robbo was ruthless. The clear distinction in Robbo’s approach was the ability to surf inside the barrel rather than simply pull in and let the wave do the rest.
On his first ride Robbo was climbing the wall mid-barrel. The gecko approach allowed him to slide out high in the curl and avoid the ankle-tapping churn of the white water below. 9.17 was the reward.
Robbo’s second high score – a 9.5 – drew immediate comparisons to Andy Irons with the giant, hands-free, mid-pit pump. The exit involved a full-blown wrestle with an avalanche of white-water but Robbo was up to the muscular task, narrowly avoiding a water photographer who couldn’t believe Jack found the exit.
Meanwhile, Kelly played an excellent support role, finding two backside drainers on a day when almost everyone was zoned in on the giant, 310 degree, west-swell teepees bending towards the lefts.
Robbo was clearly the most decisive winner on the day and boasted the round’s highest heat score – 18.67 . In a hot moment Robbo eclipsed two of Banzai’s best (John John and Kelly) on a morning when Pipe was most definitely doing its thing.
If not the heat winner, Kelly was certainly the eloquent statesman who summed up the day. “Pipe’s the queen today, we’re just out here amongst it.”
It was also a solid day all round for the Australian contingent. Owen Wright and Connor O’Leary posted convincing wins, as did Ethan Ewing. Meanwhile tour rookies, Jackson Baker and Callum Robson did enough to dodge the elimination round. In a gutsy, narrow victory, Baker scored what Rosy Hodge called “The best barrel of his life he never came out of.” Oh, what might have been if he made it – but then, there were plenty of ‘almost famous’ moments on a day when you had to be ultra-deep to impress the judges.
