Banzai Pipeline
Encyclopedia
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
reef break located in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, off Ehukai Beach Park in Pupukea on O'ahu's North Shore. A reef break is an area in the ocean where waves start to break once they reach the shallows of a reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
. Pipeline is notorious for huge waves which break in shallow water just above a sharp and cavernous reef, forming large, hollow, thick curls of water that surfers can tube ride
Tube riding
Tube riding is a term used by surfers to describe riding well inside the curve or barrel of a finely-shaped breaking wave. Under the right conditions, waves in some areas form a moving "tube" or cylinder as they break, for example, see the Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii.The most straightforward way to...
. There are three reefs at Pipeline in progressively deeper water further out to sea that activate according to the increasing size of approaching ocean swells
Swell (ocean)
A swell, in the context of an ocean, sea or lake, is a series surface gravity waves that is not generated by the local wind. Swell waves often have a long wavelength but this varies with the size of the water body, e.g. rarely more than 150 m in the Mediterranean, and from event to event, with...
.
Origin of the name
The location's compound name combines the name of the surf break (Pipeline) with the name of the beachBeach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
fronting it (Banzai Beach). It got its name in December 1961, when surfing movie producer Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown is an American documentary film director, known as an early pioneer of the surf film...
was driving the North Shore with California surfers Phil Edwards
Phil Edwards (surfer)
Philip Edwards is a legendary surfer. He is credited with being the first to surf the Banzai pipeline in Hawaii, being the first professional surfer, and creating the first signature surf board. He was the subject of a cover story, and his photo appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1966...
and Mike Diffenderfer. Brown stopped at the then-unnamed site to film Edwards catching several waves. At the time, there was a construction project on an underground pipeline
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
on adjacent Kamehameha Highway, and Diffenderfer made the suggestion to name the break "Pipeline". The name was first used in Brown's movie Surfing Hollow Days. It also lent its name to a 1963 hit by surf music
Surf music
Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...
rockers The Chantays
The Chantays
The Chantays are an American surf rock band from the early 1960s, known for the hit instrumental, "Pipeline" . Their music combined electronic keyboards and surf guitar, creating a unique ghostly sound.-History:...
.
Specifics of the break
The reef at Pipe is a flat tabletop reef, with several caverns on the inside, creating a giant air bubble that pops on the front of the wave when the wave lurches upwards just before breaking. There are also several jagged, underwater lava spires that can injure fallen surfers. Sand can accumulate on the reef at Pipeline, and that can cause waves to "close out" (meaning the hollow tube of the wave collapses all at once and thus is impossible to surf). A strong swellSwell (ocean)
A swell, in the context of an ocean, sea or lake, is a series surface gravity waves that is not generated by the local wind. Swell waves often have a long wavelength but this varies with the size of the water body, e.g. rarely more than 150 m in the Mediterranean, and from event to event, with...
(a formation of long-wavelength surface waves) from the west clears out the sand in the reef, and after that, a strong north swell can give rise to the best waves.
There are four waves associated with Pipeline. The left (which means the wave breaks from left to right from the perspective of a watcher on shore) known as Pipeline (aka First Reef) is the most commonly surfed and photographed. When the reef is hit by a north swell, the peak (the highest tipping-point of the wave where it begins to curl) becomes an A-frame shaped wave, with Pipe closing out a bit and peeling off left, and the equally famous Backdoor Pipeline peeling away to the right at the same time. As the size at Pipe increases, over 12 feet usually, Second Reef on the outside (further out into the deeper ocean waters) starts breaking, with longer walls (the unbroken face of the wave that the surfer slides across), and more size. At an extreme size an area called Third Reef even further outside starts to break with giant waves.
The surfers
The extreme challenge posed to even the best athletes when Pipeline is breaking at full size cannot be overstated. Numerous surfers and photographers have been killed at Pipe, including Jon Mozo and Tahitian Malik JoyeuxMalik Joyeux
Malik Joyeux was an accomplished all-around waterman and a professional Big Wave surfer. Known by many as the "petit prince", the Tahitian goofy-foot surfer often gained attention for charging the treacherous barrels at Teahupoo, Tahiti...
, who was famous for his heavy charging (gutsy surfing) at Teahupo'o
Teahupo'o
Teahupoo is a village on the south-west coast of the island of Tahiti, French Polynesia, southern Pacific Ocean.It is known for the surf break and heavy, glassy waves offshore, often reaching 2 to 3 m and up to 70 feet...
. Pipeline is often called the world's deadliest wave. Its average wave is 9 feet but can get bigger. Many more people have died or been seriously injured at Pipeline than at any other surf spot.
The takeoff zone (the area in which a surfer needs to be in order to catch a wave) at Pipeline is small, but a large number of surfers tend to congregate there when it is breaking large. Established local surfers consequently work together to limit outsiders' access to the waves. The localism and occasional violence of this self-described "Wolf Pack" (successors in this role to Da Hui) are often criticized, but their intimidating presence provides an indispensable degree of crowd control, and has probably prevented some additional fatalities and injuries at Pipe.
Among the many notable surfers to earn a reputation surfing the Pipeline are Butch Van Artsdalen
Butch Van Artsdalen
Charles M. Van Artsdalen was a legendary surfer. He moved to La Jolla, California, from his birthplace of Norfolk, Virginia, at age 14. Artsdalen is best known as a pioneer of surfing 25-foot waves at such North Shore locations as Waimea Bay and Sunset Beach; and tube riding in Hawaii during the...
, Gerry Lopez
Gerry Lopez
Gerry Lopez , aka Mr. Pipeline, is an American surfer, shaper, journalist, and film actor.-Early life:Lopez was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, grew up in East Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii and attended Punahou School. He frequented the semi secret reefs in and around Aina Haina as well as better known surf...
, Shaun Tomson
Shaun Tomson
Shaun Tomson is a South African professional surfer and former world champion, environmentalist, actor, author and businessman.-Life and career:...
, Mark Richards
Mark Richards (surfer)
Mark Richards , known as MR, is an Australian surfer, five time world champion , and highly respected by his peers.In 2000 Mark was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his service to Surf Riding.- Youth :...
, Michael Ho
Michael Ho
Michael Ho is an American surfer who has won the Hawaiian Triple Crown, the Duke Classic, the World Cup and the 1982 Pipe Masters. Michael Ho was born San Mateo, California. He is the brother of Derek Ho, another American champion surfer....
, Simon Anderson
Simon Anderson
Simon Anderson is an Australian surfer and surfboard shaper, noted for creating the Thruster design of three equal-sized fins on a surfboard, a design now used on most shortboards.-Early life:...
, Tom Carroll, Sunny Garcia
Sunny Garcia
Sunny Garcia was born Vincent Sennen Garcia on January 14, 1970 in Mā'ili, on the Westside of Oahu, Hawaii. He grew up in Wai'anae and after leaving school, debuted on the 1986 Gotcha Pro at Sandy Beach, Oahu, beating the 1984 champ Tom Carroll....
, Kelly Slater
Kelly Slater
Robert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. He has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest and the oldest to win the title...
, Andy Irons
Andy Irons
Philip Andrew "Andy" Irons was a professional surfer. Irons learned to surf on the dangerous and shallow reefs of the North Shore in Kauai, Hawaii...
, Jamie O'Brien
Jamie O'Brien (surfer)
Jamie O'Brien is a professional surfer from North Shore, Hawaii.-Career:O'Brien was born on June 9, 1983 in Hawaii and currently lives in Haleiwa. He has said that he was fortunate as a child to grow up near the Banzai Pipeline...
, Reef McIntosh, Rob Machado
Rob Machado
Robert Edward Machado is an American professional surfer from Cardiff-by-the-Sea, a community in Encinitas , California....
, the late Sion Milosky, John John Florence
John John Florence
JJ Florence is an American surfer.- Life :Florence, the oldest of three children, grew up in Hale'iwa, in an ocean-side house at the Banzai Pipeline. He resides with his mother, Alexandra, and his two younger brothers Nathan and Ivan. He was introduced to surfing by Alexandra, who is a surfer...
and bodyboarder Mike Stewart. Although not famous for surfing Pipeline, the musician Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (musician)
Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...
was hoping to become a professional surfer, but after a wipeout at Pipe that required over 150 stitches in his forehead and knocked some of his teeth out, he decided to become a musician instead.
The top surfing competitions at this spot are the Pipe Masters (Board Surfing), the IBA Pipeline Pro (Bodyboarding), and the Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic
Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic
The Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic is a bodysurfing competition held annually during the Winter season at the Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore of the island of Oahu in Hawaii....
.
Shaun Tomson
Shaun Tomson
Shaun Tomson is a South African professional surfer and former world champion, environmentalist, actor, author and businessman.-Life and career:...
1977 world champion from South Africa, Mark Richards
Mark Richards (surfer)
Mark Richards , known as MR, is an Australian surfer, five time world champion , and highly respected by his peers.In 2000 Mark was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his service to Surf Riding.- Youth :...
four time 1979-1982 world champion from Australia, Wayne 'Rabbit' Bartholomew 1978 world champion from Australia and Peter Townend (surfer)
Peter Townend (surfer)
- Early Surfing Years :Townend was born in Coolangatta, Queensland , was considered to be one of the best surfers in the world throughout the 70's and 80's. Some however might argue that the competition was a lot less competitive and the surf tours were loosely planned, none-the-less his title...
, 1976 world champion from Australia earned reputations surfing Off-The-Wall and Backdoor at a time when competitive surfing was coming of age. Off-The-Wall, and Backdoor are "the rights on the other side of Pipeline" - Randy Rarick, Director of Hawaiian Triple Crown of Surfing quoted from the movie Bustin' Down The Door.
Media
A episode of Season 6 (1974-75) of Hawaii Five-OHawaii Five-O
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
, named "The Banzai Pipeline", was filmed at Pipeline.
Recent deaths at Pipeline
- Malik JoyeuxMalik JoyeuxMalik Joyeux was an accomplished all-around waterman and a professional Big Wave surfer. Known by many as the "petit prince", the Tahitian goofy-foot surfer often gained attention for charging the treacherous barrels at Teahupoo, Tahiti...
, Tahitian surfer (2 December 2005) - Jon Mozo, local surf photographer (10 February 2005)
- Joshua Nakata, local bodyboarder (16 March 2008)
- Moto Watanabe, Japanese surfer (19 January 2004)
- Joaquin Velilla, Puerto Rican surfer (12 January 2007)
External links
- Pipeline on BlooSeeBlooseeBlooSee is a social network and an ocean web mapping site where sailors, divers, surfers and other sea lovers geotag and share information and knowledge about the oceans. BlooSee is built in Python and uses the Google Maps API.BlooSee is owned by BlooSee, Inc...
(satellite view, NOAA chart and surfing spot)