Barron Mamiya and Caitlin Simmers win 2024 Pipe Pro
Barron Mamiya and Caitlin Simmers claimed the 2024 Pipe Pro at Banzai Pipeline, Oahu, Hawaii.
The finals days were held in picture-perfect six-to-eight-foot waves at Pipeline.
The swell showed up and offered a dreamy canvas for the world’s best athletes to showcase their talent on one of the heaviest waves on earth.
A huge day of competition in incredible conditions delivered the first-ever Perfect 10 in a women’s Championship Tour (CT) at Pipeline, highlighting an iconic day that featured matchups that will go down in history.
In just her second season among the world’s best surfers, Caitlin Simmers claimed a statement win at Pipeline, fearlessly attacking the solid Backdoor and Banzai waves all day.
This marks the 18-year-old’s third victory on the CT and cements her place as one of the brightest stars of professional surfing.
“This wave is terrifying; I respect everyone who wants a part of it and everyone who doesn’t because it’s really scary out there,” Simmers said.
“It starts with all the girls that battled the guys and barely got any waves, and I hope that this event showed the girls can do it. We’re getting spat out all day, and it’s pretty cool to see. I’m really happy to be a part of it.”
The women’s final featured a battle between last season’s world no. 4 and no. 5, Simmers and Picklum, in the culmination of their success through the draw this week as the event’s overall standouts in Hawaiian waters.
Picklum put her foot on the gas first with yet another incredible ride at Backdoor to post a 9.27 as her first score for the early lead.
Simmers did not back out of the fight and came back at her opponent with a similarly deep tube on a foamy right for an 8.83 to stay right in the battle.
With time ticking down, both surfers were still sitting on minimal backup scores, though a smart, two-turn combination from Simmers gave her the edge to apply pressure on Picklum.
The Australian got a last roll of the dice in the dying seconds but failed to make a backhand barrel, and Simmers walked away with the win.
“Molly’s a guru; she’s probably the best girl out here, in my opinion,” Simmers said of her opponent.
“One heat out here is like months of experience, and getting barrelled in a heat with your friend is the most fun thing in the world.”
Earlier in the day, Simmers scored an incredible Backdoor gem, posting a 9.17 for a double overhead clean barrel, only matched by her precise technique to get a clean exit.
This near-perfect ride set the Oceanside local on a path to victory in the first event of the season.
Mamiya’s Perfect 10
24-year-old Haleiwa local Barron Mamiya claimed the men’s title in fantastic fashion, overcoming Florence in pumping surf to claim an early pole position on the 2024 CT rankings.
Mamiya, who arrived on Tour after a wildcard victory in the 2022 Hurley Pro Sunset Beach, is no stranger to wearing the yellow jersey and will be lethal just up the road next week.
“That 10, I literally can’t believe I made it,” Mamiya said.
“I was in the barrel and couldn’t believe I came out. Without John, without Jamie (O’Brien), without Uncle D (Derek Ho), I wouldn’t be who I am.!
!I watched these guys surf my entire life, and watching John here is how I learned to get barrels at Pipeline, so I give him lots of credit for the way I surf.”
The all-Hawaiian men’s Final witnessed 2021 Pipe victor and mainstay Florence and proven Pipe charger Mamiya battling in their own backyard.
The first exchange was a split of the peak, Mamiya going left and Florence right, with the two-time world champion getting the nudge, earning a 7.33 over his opponent’s 6.00.
Only moments later, both surfers started on back-to-back lefts, and while Florence’s first wave of the set looked good, Mamiya behind got way deeper on a bigger wave and rode it to perfection, scoring a Perfect 10-point ride, the second to be claimed on an epic Finals Day.
As time slowly ran out, Florence found a few more opportunities, trying to manufacture a score out of lesser quality waves, but was unsuccessful, sealing the deal on Mamiya’s second tour victory, his first at Pipeline.
“Growing up on the North Shore, this is an event that you always want to win,” Mamiya added.
“To finally win it, with John in the Final, and to get a 10, I’m literally at a loss for words. I’ll definitely never forget this day for the rest of my life.”
Earlier in the first men’s Semifinal, Mamiya put down a near-perfect heat total with 18.84 points for two of the best rights at Backdoor all week.
Florence’s 100th CT Event
Two-time world champion John John Florence added another impeccable run to a long list of results from his home event, continuing to post incredible scores in most heats on his way to a fourth final appearance at Pipeline.
This marked Florence’s 100th career CT event, and he has his eyes set on a big year ahead with renewed vigor for competition.
“Just growing up here and getting to surf this wave my whole life, I feel like it’s a huge privilege,” Florence said.
“It was awesome to have Barron in the final; he’s such a good surfer; that 10 was so crazy.”
“Being a competitor, you don’t want to see it, but that was pretty sick.”
“I’m really excited for this year. I was having a lot of fun competing, and I really can’t wait for the next heat.”
At 31 years of age and after nearly 15 years on Tour, Florence’s passion for competing looks intact, and his motivation and relaxed attitude promise more exciting battles as the CT continues next week at Sunset.
The Historical Women’s Semifinal
The second women’s semifinal will go down in surfing history books as arguably the most entertaining showdown ever witnessed on the women’s CT.
Picklum and Bettylou Sakura Johnson put everything they had on the line at both Banzai Pipeline and Backdoor, locking into deep, radical barrels on multiple occasions throughout their 30-minute matchup.
Picklum had her 10-point ride and seemed untouchable on her way to the final, but in the dying moments of the heat, Sakura Johnson found an iconic Banzai left and rode it brilliantly with a late take-off, barely making it under the lip.
The 18-year-old threaded the barrel high to exit cleanly, earning an 8.33, slightly shy of the 8.61 requirement needed to turn the heat.
Regardless, the boundary-breaking matchup will be remembered for decades to come as one of the epic battles of Pipeline.
Earlier in the day, the Hawaiian scored one of the event’s best waves, with a near-perfect 9.70.
The wave stood up tall on the Backdoor reef and accelerated as the Hawaiian matched its speed perfectly to take a clean exit after the spit.
Sakura Johnson records a second consecutive semifinal result at Pipeline, further cementing her place as one of the strongest surfers on the North Shore.
“You just really have to put in time out here at Pipeline,” Sakura Johnson said.
“I’m really happy we got these waves; these are the days we dream of.!
“That wave came, and Caroline had priority, but she wasn’t really looking, and I thought it was going to hit the reef really well, so I just committed, put my head down, and went for it, and I made it out, so I couldn’t be more stoked.”
2024 Pipe Pro | Finals
Men
- Barron Mamiya (HAW) 16.00
- John John Florence (HAW) 15.33
Women
- Caitlin Simmers (USA) 12.66
- Molly Picklum (AUS) 10.64
