PARKO, DAY ONE AT PIPE
Posted in Photos, Video, World Tour
- She be wild out there today.
Tell me what you saw when you got here this morning?
It was big. Like, real big. I was staying down the beach a way so I got up and I knew it was monstrous and was wondering if the contest was even going to be on. I seen a coupe of outer reefs break and I saw Third Reef breaking, and I flicked on TV and I … Yeah Lozza (Laurie Towner runs past for his heat)… so I knew it was on.
Are you happy or bummed that you didn’t surf today?
I won’t surf today and I’m bummed about that. This is what you come here for, to get big Pipe, and there aren’t a lot of good waves out there but there are some amazing ones, and you’re here to get one of those. Everyone’s here to get one. Tomorrow morning I’m first heat and it could be all-time.
Talk to me about finding them out there.
Look (pointing), there is a massive, massive set coming right now, but there haven’t been many good medium ones in between, and they’ve been the better ones. It’s either been flat or 15 foot and look now, these guys are bailing from First Reef to avoid being cleaned up by a giant wash through.
Parko and Sunny. And some creep in the background.
When was the last time you surfed Pipe like this?
Last year we had it like this for one day while Haleiwa was on, but that’s not a contest day so it’s a bit different. It was pumping just like this, maybe even a little better. It still seems like there’s a lot of sand out here at the moment, but it’s coming off the reef so quickly. You can see the beach shrinking in front of your eyes.
What boards are you thinking about taking out here tomorrow?
I got a 7’4”, a 7’6” and a 7’8”, and actually some quads. I surfed Sunset on my quad and I surfed Phantoms yesterday arvo on it too. It went unreal. I’ve got the five-plugger system so I can change them if I need to. They feel good in the barrel but for me they’re not as good to turn on. (Pointing) Look at how west that wave is! You could ride that thing to Rocky Point!
Who are you liking out there today?
Look, those guys are bailing! They’re goooooone! I was really bummed to see Freddy go down because he’s had a really tough year, and needed to get through some heats here. But I think it’s been the guys surfing smart who’ve been winning heats. There haven’t been a lot of life changing heats, but there are still a lot of good barrels. Jamie’s wave then was pretty sick but the day is still young. Who knows what John John is going to do out here?
Is this a reminder to you that Pipe is still the contest you want to win the most?
I think there’s a fine line between Pipe and Teahupoo, and they leave everything else behind. People are always saying Pipe or Teahupoo, but who cares, both are awesome.
And you’re first heat in the morning.
I’m feeling it. Hopefully it will still be big but it will be a bit more orderly. Stoked I’m in the first heat because I get a 20-minute two-man heat, then I get priority for the next 20 minutes. I’ve never been so stoked to be the first heat of the day.
Joel’s first heat should be surfed at 8am Hawaiian time, 5am Australian time.
Afternoon freesurf with Rasta.