John John Florence defended his title at the Volcom Pipe Pro in solid 8- to 10-foot waves Wednesday at Ehukai Beach.

It was one of the most dramatic finishes ever at Pipeline. In the final, Jamie O’Brien had a commanding lead with an 18.47 out of 20.00 total with 4 minutes left on the clock. O’Brien had everyone in a combination situation needing two scores to overtake him.

Out of nowhere, Florence dropped a perfect 10 on a perfect drainer. O’Brien took the wave right behind it and came flying out with the spit for a 9.93 to extend his lead, with Florence needing a 9.40 to overtake him

Two minutes passed by with no waves coming in. Then, Florence paddled over to congratulate O’Brien for what they thought was his victory. But with less than a minute to go, a wave loomed on the horizon.

Both surfers saw it and started bolting toward it. With 15 seconds left, Florence scratched into a Backdoor bomb and got spit out with a massive spray. The final horn blew, with the score still being deliberated. As Florence reached the beach, the score was announced as a 9.93, giving him the win in the ASP’s 5-star event and the $20,000 first prize.

"I won this contest last year and I was bummed because I got this cut right before this contest," Florence said. "I considered not even surfing in it. I was already telling Jamie congratulations. Then I turned around and thought, ‘Oh my god. Here’s my chance.’ I was scratching for it and really aiming to go left. Once I started to get into it I had to go right. I made the drop and held on warrior stance out of the thing. I still can’t believe it."

O’Brien, the second-place finisher who took home $10,000, was on a tear in the final, racking up three 9-point rides in the losing effort.

"It hurts," O’Brien said. "You think you’re going to win and you don’t. It’s OK. I got some really good scores and I felt I put on a great performance. To me that means everything. I had a great time. I finally got in a good rhythm my last couple of heats. I enjoyed myself and it was a good day."

Third place went to Maui’s Kai Barger, (18.20) and fourth place to California’s Nathan Yeomans, (7.57).