Pipeline was far from perfect on Thursday with shifty peaks, gray skies and more than a few upsets.
Despite the conditions, Waialua’s Kawai Lindo found a perfect 10 at the Volcom Pipeline Pro.
With his heat winding down, Lindo found a perfect spot on a perfect wave. He took a late drop, set his rail, then traveled through an incredibly deep tube ride. Lindo emerged after the spit with his hands raised in the air in a double gun salute.
“It’s hard to describe that wave,” Lindo said. “I felt like I was on Cloud 9. I forgot I was even in the heat after I got that wave. Not because I got a 10, but because I got a good wave. I would have been happy if I got that wave with no one around so the money, the people and all the cheers from the beach were icing on the cake.”
Lindo collected $1,000 in cash from Electric sunglasses, which is giving a grand to every surfer who scores a perfect 10 in the event.
On the other hand, Lindo did not advance.
The North Shore’s Makua Rothman put up the highest two-wave score of the day — a 16.86 out of 20. Rothman went into the heat with a certain strategy, but in the end a little luck helped.
“I saw a couple sneaker rights at Aint’s bowl so I figured I would go over there and wait it out,” Rothman said. “I went and got one pretty quick that was an 8. After that I was thinking if one guy’s got the score I would be OK, but two guys got some scores and I was in third.
“I seen Charlie (Carroll) and Flynn (Novak) who were in first and second paddle way out so I was left alone. A perfect little wedge came to me on the inside, which I thought I was to deep for, but I made it, came out then I bunny hopped the jet ski.”
Top seeds such as John John Florence (the defending champ), Jamie O’Brien and Josh Kerr will be up in the Round of 64.
