Mason Ho makes his way North East across the globe to Europe. Ericeira Portugal to be exact. A small cool surf town with incredible seafood and waves.
Portugal is perfect to Search for waves because it’s so big! This day was special because it had fog early and not many people looking for waves. Mason came across this fun reef wave he never surfed before so he made his way out and caught some waves alone before the word got out.
A large chunk of this year’s Red Bull Cape Fear roster headed to Shipstern Bluff for a thumping winter warmup swell. Aussie lensman Tim Bonython was there to showcase the best of the action in this SESSIONS edit.
As the big wave world waited for the fourth edition of Red Bull Cape Fear to come alive, the event’s home, Shipstern Bluff, had been starting to look impressive in its warm-up runs. Tasmania woke for the winter in April, just as the competition window opened up. Although conditions weren’t sufficient for the contest to be called on, they were definitely close enough for a considerable fraternity of the field to fly to the Apple Isle and join the local team on one of their first serious sessions.
With Australian domestic borders at the time of the swell wide open and a crew of newly recruited interstate competitors chomping at the bit to sharpen their Shipstern chops, everyone from 2012 world champ Joel Parkinson to future first-time female Red Bull Cape Fear competitor Summa Longbottom jetted into Hobart with slabs and steps on their minds.
Open registration for the month-long Vans Triple Crown of Surfing featuring iconic surf breaks Haleiwa, Sunset and Pipeline opens November 15, 2021 on vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com
Vans, the original action sports brand and global icon of creative expression, makes a triumphant return to Hawaii this winter to uphold the legacy of the 2021 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing as a digital platform, and build upon the future of surfing on the North Shore of Oahu, evolving the iconic Pipe Masters to become a global Invitational event in 2022.
“Over the last century, the North Shore has defined high performance surfing and Vans has had the privilege of being an active participant in surf culture through the Triple Crown of Surfing. In this futuristic world of surfing, Vans looks ahead to challenge conventional competition in order to progress surf event criteria and inspire the next generation of surfers,” said Scott Sisamis, Director of Global Sports Marketing at Vans. “We want to celebrate the creative expression, inclusivity and freedom that surfing offers by continuing to elevate opportunities that empower surfing’s premier talent both in Hawaii and from around the world.”
The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing
Reintroduced in 2020 as a digital competition series, the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing earned critical praise for its innovative format and the series will now be permanently hosted as an online series.
The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing will run for four weeks from December 21, 2021 – January 21, 2022, at its three historic surf venues, and award individual event titles to men and women at the Vans Hawaiian Pro (Haleiwa), the Vans World Cup of Surfing (Sunset Beach), and the Vans Pipe Masters (Banzai Pipeline), as well as crown overall Vans Triple Crown series champions.
Men and women winners of the digital Vans Pipe Masters and overall Vans Triple Crown Champions will earn a seed into the inaugural Pipe Masters Invitational event in 2022.
The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing continues to strengthen its bonds with the Hawaiian community by integrating local businesses, expanding community participation, and giving back to the deep roots of Hawaii’s local surf culture. This year, 100% of competitor entry fees will be matched by Vans and returned as community program givebacks to local, non-profit organisations including: Na Kama Kai, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii and the North Shore Community Land Trust.
Vans Pipe Masters Evolves to Invitational
As part of a new chapter for surfing, Vans has reimagined the Pipe Masters to create a Live specialty invitational event that fuels innovation, inclusivity, and progression, while aiming to showcase both men and women specialists of tube-riding and aerial surfing. The Vans Pipe Masters event will debut in December 2022, with physical event permits secured for three years (2022, 2023, and 2024).
In 2021, the World Surf League (WSL) announced a fully redesigned Tours and Competition framework, establishing the key venues and dates for the world’s best surfers moving forward starting in January at the world-famous Pipeline in Hawaii for the first-ever men’s and women’s joint Championship Tour event at that legendary break. The redesign of the WSL’s Tours and Competition framework left an opportunity for Vans to leverage its ownership of the event’s IP and evolve the event’s approach for future generations.
In anticipation of the event’s physical debut, Vans remains focused on uplifting the Triple Crown while building the 2022 Pipe Masters Invitational platform.
Registration for the 2021 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing will open on November 15, 2021. Visit vanstriplecrownofsurfing.com and follow @vanstriplecrownsurf on Instagram to learn more and stay tuned to all the action happening live on the ground.
Very narrow miss at #endoftheroad Teahupoʻo, @justinedupont33 dodging @kirahuu in the west bowl. Thankfully nobody was hurt 🙏🏼, what’s your thoughts on this, epic footage by the great @timmckenna
Here’s what Justine had to say to clarify her side of the story.
Justine had this to say to put the record straight, “Sorry for the big fans of controversy, my side of the story will disappoint you. The conditions at Teahupoo were really cool today with strong paddling waves and frequent tow sets. My goal was to gain experience paddling and make a nice one. After a few wipeouts and a good intermediate wave I took a little break, The locals were paddling and towing in, it was really inspiring.
The atmosphere was really great and there was no animosity between paddlers and tow surfers. The vast majority of surfers in the lineup have alternated between one and the other. When the opportunity came with the Tahitian legend ‘Poto’ Vetea David, I took it to go tow a few waves.
I didn’t surf the first one well, I found myself in front of the tube. I’m happy with the second one, I got a better line. And then there was this one. The wave looked really cool, I took my line and saw the bodyboarder turn around and paddle. I hesitated whether to go straight or jump off my board and finally I thought that maybe I could avoid it. He touched my arm, it was super close but I could make it.
He told me he was sorry and hadn’t seen me. It’s part of surfing and there are no problems. The main thing is that neither of us gets hurt.
Thanks to all the locals for the encouragement and the good vibes.
Thank you Uncle Poto. See you in the line up tomorrow.”
Everyone can ride a frontside barrel, but when it comes to riding it backside things get a little more complicated. With this HOW TO I want to give you my perspective on riding backside barrels, give you guys some little tips that will help you progress your tube skills.
Filmed and Edited by Kenny Kemp
Earlier this year Cyclone Seroja slammed into the coastal town of Kalbarri destroying almost anything is its path.
A look at the healing power of pumping surf and community coming together, stronger than ever in the midst of destruction.
