Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
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.
78
BERNIE BAKER