Jack Robinson and Carissa Moore Triumph in The Grindy, Windy, Wishy-Washy Pipe Pro

Reading Time: 9 minutes

Jack Robinson and Carissa Moore always seemed destined to become Pipeline champions but perhaps this is not quite how we, or they imagined it would go down. Expectations for Pipeline are always so high that when it fails to deliver luminous, double-overhead barrels it’s deflating, a bit like your best friend failing to show up on your birthday, or your Mum forgetting to pick you up from school.

Alas, if the wave doesn’t get to be the sparkling co-star then we have to try harder to appreciate the nuances of the competition. And so it was that finals day went down in windy, ‘grindy’, wishy-washy Pipeline. The sort of day when Ross Williams repeatedly suggested that you had to be like a ‘truffle pig’ to snuff out the good ones. Ross’s analysis is always on point and he regularly matches the judge’s scores with his predictions, but his lateral metaphors, anecdotes and Hawaiian lingo are also a welcome addition to the commentary, particularly on a slow day.  

The quarter final between John John Florence and Jack Robinson should have been a heat for the ages, but in the absence of roaring Pipe it was two buddies trading waves on a four-foot peak. Still, they gave each other the silent treatment in the tense battle and there were chances for both to demonstrate their superior tube riding abilities. John drew first blood on his poppy, red Pyzel – for once it wasn’t a Ghost but some new creation. (The WSL have adopted the Shaper’s Cup concept that Tracks ran last year. Hopefully someone can give 2022’s clear winners, Sharp Eye, a run for their money and Pyzel certainly has a shot.)   ­  
John John pulled an impossibly late sideslip into a crumbling peak, arm-barred the stall and manufactured a 7.17 in a way only he could.  Robbo, who loves to hunt down a score from behind, was backdooring a wave right after John John’s, but it was John who got the better of the exchange, cheered on by his pit crew who were unmistakeable in their matching yellow and red JJF shirts. Robbo’s 6.67 was a full-throttle, Backdoor drainer with a layback exit under the guillotine curtain. Moments later he hooked under a thick-lipped Backdoor fold, followed it up with a foam-drift snap and snatched the lead from the home boy with a 7.17 that matched John John’s best ride. Some might have argued JJF’s wave was better than Jack’s but Jack’s back-up score (6.67) was still almost a point beyond John John’s back-up (5.7). As it was, Robbo had enough to hold on to the lead and add John John’s scalp to the one of Gabriel Medina’s, which was already hanging in his locker room.

Meanwhile, Joao Chianca had roared past world champ Filipe Toledo with a series of sublimely executed frontside snaps, earning him a pair of sixes and making it apparent he will be a threat in open face conditions at other locations. If there was ever a day Filipe Toledo could claim a Pipe Pro spinning into the wind it was today, and he will see the quarterfinal loss as a huge missed opportunity.    

Roman Emperors once ruled over Europe and beyond but no one ever expected a guy from Rome to conquer the most prestigious surf contest in the world, but here was Leo Fioravanti in the semi-final against fellow, first-class hustler Caio Ibelli. Leo took a typically front foot approach against Caio, snagging an early wide barrel towards Aint’s (It ain’t Backdoor and it ain’t Off the Wall) The 7.67 was rapidly backed up with a 4.33 multi-turn combo allowing the Italian to tie up Ibelli in knots of spaghetti. After winning his semi-final against Ibelli, Leo kissed the Italian flag on his jersey and gave a shout out in his native tongue. When the Italian soccer team failed to qualify for last year’s World Cup the country went into mourning, now at least they had a surfer to cheer for in the Pipe final. A long-hauler in Hawaii since he was a teenager, Leo had spent much of his life surfing Pipe and watching it from the front yard of the Quiksilver House. He’d also broken his back out there and had certainly earned his slot in the final.   

While Red Bull was keeping everyone caffeinated with their canned syrup, Jack Robinson was more interested in staying oxygenated in preparation for his semi with Joao Chianca. Robbo was snorting air through his nostrils like a thoroughbred about to run the Melbourne cup. Once upon a time such noisy preparations might have been mocked or considered too nakedly ambitious. However, this is pro surfing 2023 and any regime or practise that gives you and edge is rightly fair game.

Early in the semi, Jack showed his determination to win when he rode a wave so far he foundered on the inside reef like a Pipe shipwreck, buckling a fin and forcing a board change. Joao momentarily snatched the lead with a neat barrel to fin-drift to arm-cross claim. Megan Abubo was prompted to compare the different claims each surfer showcases. It seems the claim, once derided as vainglorious, has become so normalised that we now discuss the different versions – much like they do in soccer or NFL.

Once again Jack proved that he often does his best surfing when he knows he’s chasing down a competitor and hauled in the heavy-hitting Brazilian with a 6.17.

Ross Williams was moved to describe Jack as a complex figure with polarised influences

“ The Margaret River Hippy who likes to channel ‘The Art of War’. ” And apparently perform his Whim Hoff breathing exercises when he plays yahtzee. Huff and puff as much as he liked Robbo was never going to match the North Shore winds, which seemed to kick up ten knots as Leo and Jack paddled out for the finals.

Although it was a forty-minute affair the first 30-minutes was basically a Joe Turpel surf history lesson. Nothing happened. The average wave quality had obviously dropped but both surfers were too scared to really chase down a low-quality wave in case there was one gem left out there.

With fifteen minutes to go Leo was leading with a measly 5.67 heat total . As the clock hit the ten-minute mark, Jack decided it was time to go and locked in a six with a two-turn combo. Right behind him , Leo burrowed through a crumbly tube and dodged the end section in favour of kicking out and securing priority. The judges went with a 3.47 and everyone wondered out loud if Leo had lost the Pipe Masters because he had failed to slap the foam on a crumbly, two-foot closeout section. That’s what it had come down to in the grindy, windy, whiny Pipe Masters. The ensuing paddle battle between Jack and Leo did provide Ross with a chance to drop a bitey anecdote about his Huntington priority buoy, paddle duel days. “Luke Egan punched me in the back of the head one time, but I didn’t mind because I beat him anyway.” Somewhere big Luke was feeling vilified and sheepish.

In the end the 9.17 heat total was enough for Jack to hang on to the lead and claim one of the least memorable victories in Pipe history. But no one could ever say Jack Robbo was not a deserving Pipe champ.  “I dreamed of this for a long time…” he commented after the final. “I’m just so grateful… this wave has hurt me and it’s also given me a lot of good things.”

Robbo is perennially stating his aim to stay in the present but it was unquestionably a good start to his quest for a world title in 2023.  “It’s going to be a long road and I’m just getting the legs going to run that road,” Robbo explained. Then he was off to the Volcom House to celebrate where he genuinely feared the balcony might collapse due to the weight of human traffic.

In the women’s Carissa Moore started the day looking for a little revenge. After finishing second to Moana Jones-Wong in the Pipe final last year and losing the world title to Steph Gilmore at Trestles (despite being streets ahead on the leaderboard) Carissa wanted to remind herself and everyone else that she belonged on top of the ratings. It’s well-known she has been putting in the time at Pipe over the winter and her learning curve is striking. Thanks to Carissa’s natural talent and work ethic, small to mid-size Backdoor is beginning to look like her lounge room. She knows how to identify the best waves (with a little help from board-waving coach Love Hodel) and execute, deep, highly technical tube rides when the opportunity arises. In the semis, up against fellow Hawaiian Bettylou Sakura Johnson, she chalked up an eight-pointer with an ultra-late, U-turning drop into a tight nugget. Any CT surfer from either the men’s or women’s division would have been pleased with the effort. 

In the final against Tyler Wright it was once again Carissa’s ability to identify the best single wave and convert it to big points that proved telling. Wright looked slick and loose on her Pyzel craft, Ross Williams even suggesting she was doing the best open face surfing of her life. Her form bodes well for the remainder of the season. However, a pair of manufactured fives was never going to be enough when there was still the odd, hollow gem left out there. Between squalls, Carissa found an inviting tee-pee, threaded a clean barrel and earned a 7.17 for her deft wave selection and execution. Had coach, Love Hodel cued her into it from the beach? Either way Carissa got the job done. With eight-minutes to go she only required a 2.83 to secure the win and a single, light-speed floater (3.83) was enough to lock it down. Carissa had her first Pipe trophy and rightly stated that,  “A win at Pipe is a win at Pipe.” She also acknowledged nothing wipes away the pain of a loss like another victory. “It’s nice to come away with a win and wipe that slate clean.”

Pipeline Pro Final Day Results
Men’s Finals
Jack Robinson – 9.17
Leonardo Fioravanti – 7.47
Women’s Final
Carissa Moore – 11.00
Tyler Wright – 10.00
Men’s Semi Final
Heat 1
Leonardo Fioravanti – 12.00
Caio Ibelli – 7.57
Heat 2
Jack Robinson – 11.67
Joao Chianca – 9.93
Women’s Semi Final
Heat 1
Tyler Wright – 13.43
Lakey Peterson – 13.33
Heat 2
Carissa Moore – 12.17
Bettylou Sakura Johnson – 6.67
Men’s Quarterfinals
Heat 1
Leonardo Fioravanti – 11.00
Jordy Smith – 10.76
Heat 2
Caio Ibelli – 15.83
Liam O’Brien – 7.70
Heat 3
Joao Chianca – 12.00
Filipe Toledo – 11.40
Heat 4
Jack Robinson – 13.84
John John Florence – 12.87