An Ode To Hawai’i, Women In Surf And A Company That Still Has A Personality
Three days before the Vans Pipe Masters on the North Shore was due to kick off, I didn’t know I would be in attendance.
That may sound like an exciting position to be in, but after last year’s stint, attending the Vans Pipe Masters was something I needed to mentally and physically prepare for. 2023 was the first time I ever went to Hawai’i; the first time I ever saw the power of Pipe and the first time I ever genuinely could not touch a beer for three weeks following. It was the most chaotic, fun, full on trip I’ve ever been on, and the three-day turnaround I found myself in seemed insufficient.
As soon as I landed on the North Shore this time however, it felt different. The aftermath of the Authentic Brands Group acquisition was obvious with no dominant brand houses rented out on the beach, so naturally there wasn’t a mainstay location for everyone to party at. Instead, surfers had their own break out set ups, although it would be a lie to say there were no parties to be found, just a little quieter this year, at this point. Perhaps Jamie O’Brien’s comments had everyone, especially the younger foreign competitors, feeling on edge. As an outsider, it seemed obvious Vans were trying to champion the younger generation of surfers with this event with an invite list consisting of more Hawaiians and young surfers than ever before, naturally bringing about a calming of the pace. Whether it was less of the international circus descending to delete as many Coors Lights as physically possible, more of the locals literally just being at home or Vans maturation hosting the Pipe Masters,it was a welcome look into what Hawai’i might be like most of the time: the surfing mecca, a home not just a holiday and most importantly a place to be respected.
With some familiar faces and new ones linking up at Lobby Bar of Turtle Bay, we headed to the heat draw. Here the meatiest heat of the whole event turned out to be round one of the women with current World Champ Caity Simmers, last year’s Pipe winner Moana Jones-Wong, fresh Haleiwa HIC Pro winner Zoë McDougall and fellow local Hawaiian Chesney Guinotte. With 2023’s male champ John John out of contention this year, the fellas dispersed themselves pretty evenly across the board. At this point the forecast wasn’t exactly on, but it wasn’t exactly off either, leaving the surfers in a weird alert state as to whether it would run the next day. I must say, everyone was pretty well behaved. The buffet of food, an absolute treat.
The next day was the opening ceremony where we were reminded once again of the Hawaiian history and honour that comes with being invited to paddle out at Pipeline. While the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational is considered the most prestigious surfing event, when it doesn’t run due to conditions, the Vans Pipe Masters has been the most consistent competition of the North Shore in recent years. Despite an understandable aversion to tourism, the Hawaiians welcome us all into their home with incredible hospitality every year and this morning is a beautiful reminder of how blessed we are to be a part of it.
After the ceremony, the comp was called off for the rest of the day and so I took the opportunity of a free afternoon to drive the eastern side of the island, something I didn’t get time to do at all last year. A quick stop into Kahuku Superette to load up on the limu and shoyu poke, where poke was supposedly invented. This and Kalua pork is so problematically delicious because you simply cannot get this shit anywhere else in the world this good. I’ve genuinely dreamt about it every day since I was last on the Rock. Giovanni Shrimp Truck is also another recommendation I can attest to. Loaded up on all the goods I continue the drive, watching as the fragmented remnants of volcanos erupt out of the ground on my right, hibiscus, koa and the ocean on my left. I loved Hawai’i the moment I first arrived here last year and every day longer I spend on the island I love it even more. About halfway through the drive I get a text from Zoë McDougall who is chilling in her front yard at Sunset with Caity Simmers. We hang out for a bit, and I film a Love & Hate with them both and Zo’s pet chameleon Munch. I’d like to note how gracious both these two incredibly talented women are to give me their time as I can’t say that the male counterpart of the same calibre is texting me to hang out to do the same. Even though I am here to do a job, these moments hardly feel like it.
Over the next few days, the swell continues to be fickle, and it wasn’t until my last full day do, we finally see the competition run. A special shout out to Giulia Avila is in order for holding it down on the beach filming full days with baby Santi in tow, breastfeeding and the lot. What can’t women do! Sophie Bell gets the wave of the day with a backdoor bomb, but the comp wraps up by mid-morning before the guys start their round. At this point, I’ll be honest I’m a little stressed with the little to no content I have been able to scramble together without waves or parties. I message the Vans girls, Holly Wawn, Sophie Bell and Karina Rozunko, who tell me to come over. Even just hanging out with the girls for a couple hours I realise what a special team Vans has. As diverse in surfing, as they are in personalities, I’m surprised there hasn’t been a dedicated Vans female part or trip yet. We talk about a lot of things like pay, budgets, certain dealings that are a part of a much bigger conversation about women’s equality in sport and in work and yet these ladies emulate an attitude that is impossible not to be impressed by.
We stop into Foodland to pick up a couple tins before heading to the Banzai Skate Park to watch the Vans skate team woo the crowds of kids. Something has to be said about the friendliness of the skaters. Maybe it is because they all skate the exact same slab of concrete, no matter if you’re pro or starting out, whereas the distance between what learners and pros surf is vast, and by extension, it feels like sometimes so are the surfers. Steve Van Doren is down here slinging pizzas and merch to everyone, and the crowd seems genuinely stoked. At this moment Vans seems to have pulled off the impossible relative to the corporations in the surf industry of late – a showing of a brand that is genuinely here for the sport.
Talks of Mai Tais at Turtle Bay surface. The Vans girls pile into my little rental and we make our way to the Lobby Bar. Shots of tequila are ordered; mushy chocolate is passed around. Unfortunately for me, I have to be up before dawn to return the car and fly out of Honolulu back to Sydney. Everyone is asking why the heck I’m leaving so early when it is just starting to get fun, and I genuinely do check the price of a flight change. I dip out early for the first time in my entire life, sure of a few sore heads in the morning.
Last year at Pipe, the waves were firing and so were the parties. This year though, I was genuinely stuck on what to write because unfortunately, I missed the window for both. It wasn’t until I got home, flicked back on my phone and all the messages from the girls asking me if I really did fly out as early as I said I had too came flooding in did I realise that was the whole story in itself. The girls.
This year when not much else was going down, it was the females who invited me into their homes and over to hang. It was the girls who offered me lifts and spare beds last year. The girls have never once made me feel like an idiot for pointing a camera at them or asking them a question that we both know the answer too so that I can just simply do my job. Three years ago, females weren’t even a part of Pipe which is such a wild concept to me because the likes of Holly Wawn, Zoë McDougall, Coco Ho are, in my opinion, the people who not only make this whole event but push the progression of surfing all together. And not just because of the genuine friendships I have formed with them personally over the course of my career at Monster Children but because of in a world as exclusive as surfing, they are the first to answer the knock at the door and let you in. And yes Caity Simmers was absolutely right - Pipeline is for the fucking girls.
A massive thank you as always to Vans, George Pedrick, Zoë McDougall, Caity Simmers, Holly Wawn, Sophie Bell, Karina Rozunko, Robin Pailler and the wider Hawaiian community.
Me and some queens xx