Hawaii and Switzerland are world’s apart, literally. Yet both have recently run very successful surf events.

Oahu, Hawaii.

It’s that time of the year when we all look to the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, to see what’s happening with the best surfers in the world. Whether they are holding out for a big swell to hit the Eddie or Jaws or waiting for those monster west days at Sunset, Hawaii always brings out the best of the best surfers in the world.

One of those best surfers in the world is John John Florence, obviously. He owns the North Shore and knows every line-up, every nuance, and every tidal nuance of every take-off spot.

Banzai Pipeline

That sort of knowledge always sees him perform at Pipe, one of the most notorious waves on the planet.

John John claimed victory at the World Surf League HIC Pipe Pro, a Qualifying Series 1,000-level event, over a world-class field of Pipeline and Backdoor specialists including Barron Mamiya, brother Ivan Florence, and Kainehe Hunt in a big final. A dream finish to the event witnessed more six-to-eight foot, occasional plus, swell pumping into the iconic reef break of Pipeline. Florence was relentless in finding near-perfection throughout finals day for his fifth Pipe Pro title.

Another Win For Florence

“It feels so amazing just to win this event, especially after Haleiwa too,” said Florence. “Coming into this event, I was actually a little bit nervous. There’s a lot of really good surfers in this event. But, it was fun to get back into the rhythm, compete out here again, and get ready for what’s to come in the next few months. I was really stoked. It was a great final. And to win like that is always really fun. Last second, it was all building up for those last seconds.”

Florence’s form went unrivalled from the first heat. He posted a near-perfect heat total of 18.83 and started his flawless finals day run, not dropping a single heat throughout the event. This marks his tenth victory on the North Shore across all professional competitions, notching his ninth in Haleiwa, surpassing the late 3X WSL Champion Andy Irons.

“That’s crazy. I can’t even believe that, even that I was tied with Andy,” added Florence. “Just looking up to him the whole time I was growing up, he was such a big inspiration in my life, my brother’s life, all of us that grew up here watched him surf. (We) watched him win World Titles and battle with Kelly, (and) still draw so much inspiration from that today.”

Mama Mia Mamiya

A tough break for Mamiya left him waiting for one more opportunity to regain the lead, but it didn’t come and finished with a runner-up once more. Mamiya made the final at this event in 2019 and brought that consistency back to one of the world’s heaviest waves once more with dynamic performances from start to finish. The Pipeline standout accrued excellent scores in each of his three heats heading into the Final, helping eliminate CT competitor Seth Moniz(HAW) and fellow Pipeline specialist Koa Smith (HAW). He now finds himself into the 2022 Billabong Pro Pipeline CT event.

“Yeah, I’m super psyched to get into the CT,” said Mamiya. “I love Pipe, and I grew up surfing this wave, can’t wait to go surf with the best surfers in the world out there and see how I do. So it’s definitely a little bittersweet. It’s all good though, I’m stoked to get into the Final and get into the CT. At the end of the day I made the final. I didn’t really have a good year so it’s super sick to make the Final and get second.”

Surfing In Switzerland

Have a look at what it’s actually like surfing in the snow and in 3,7 degree C water. Check out this sick clip.