It’s around this time of year that the surfing world’s collective gaze shifts towards the Hawaiian Islands, eager to watch the world’s best surfers battle it out in the Hawaiian swells. The Triple Crown! The last-minute qualification heroics at Sunset! The World Title showdown at Pipe! The Acai Bowl slappings!
But this year there will be no crescendo, not for fans of professional surfing. However, for the locals on the North Shore of Oahu, this will be a season to celebrate. This year the circus won’t roll into town, and neither will the hundreds of accompanying surfers. This year the locals, and those lucky enough to wrangle their way onto the island under Covid travel restrictions, will enjoy lineups in numbers not seen for decades.
It’s already starting to heat up over there. Backdoor Pipe has seen a number of memorable days, (see the upcoming clip of Nathan Florence for reference), Koa Rothman has announced he will be taking any wave he wants at Pipe and judging by this clip, Mason Ho has been feasting on Rocky Point ramps.
We may not get a World Title showdown at Pipe, but we will no doubt enjoy surfing content of the highest quality nonetheless. We can’t wait to see what the season brings.
