Surfing’s Championship Tour opener postponed at famous Pipeline

The start of the World Surf League season has been delayed for at least two days due to poor conditions at Hawaii’s Banzai Pipeline.

The Pipe Pro, the first stop on the 11-event tour, was set to get underway on the North Shore of O’ahu, but organisers pushed back opening heats as they waited for better waves.

“We are going to be off for today, and we’re also going to be off for tomorrow. Not the nicest day, and we know we are going to get some better conditions in the window,” WSL commissioner Jessi Miley-Dyer said. 

“Our first day that we’re really looking at is going to be Wednesday. The forecast is changing a lot, and it’s challenging because you know that this wave is so good.

“We’re going to come back Wednesday and hopefully will have a start to the competition.”

There are 10 Australian men and women set to compete full-time in the WSL’s top tier, including silver medallist Jack Robinson and fellow Olympian Molly Picklum.

In last year’s Pipe Pro, world number five Picklum scored a perfect 10 on her way to the title showdown, where she lost to 2024 world champion Caitlin Simmers.

The 22-year-old stunned local Bettylou Sakura Johnson in the semifinal with a backhand barrel ride to notch the perfect score.

It was also a career-first perfect score for the Central Coast product.

Picklum broke her foot during the off-season, but is confident of again challenging for the title.

“I’ve been out there [at Pipeline] and I can get barrelled and I’ve had a couple nice rides since being here,” she said from O’ahu.

“I have been carefully loading my foot up, just being mindful that I also have a whole season, and the goal is to win the world title at the end of the year.

“Now it’s at a place where it’s 100 per cent.”

AAP