Any of you watching the live webcast from the Pipe Masters event as the third round got underway will know that the conditions were pretty out of control, and the organisers took the decision to put the competition on hold. The half hour heats were passing with only a couple of waves being caught, and there were broken boards and big beatings for the competitors and there was every chance of someone getting seriously hurt. As it turns out, once the decision had been made to halt the event, the conditions improved and Pipe turned on for what was one hell of a session.
The video below, courtesy of Surfing magazine, shows that not only did the size continue to increase, the swell cleaned up dramatically and there were barrels big enough to drive a bus through. With some waves nearly triple overhead, the free surf turned into a session that will be remembered for years to come.
It is a real shame the organisers were forced to halt the event for the day, because had it continued would we have seen the best Pipe Masters ever? We will never know, but at least we get to see Pipe in all it’s roaring glory. Check out the video below and let us know if you think the ASP were right to call of the Pipe Masters when they did?