Surfing News 2024: WSL Pipe Pro and the Impact of a Shark Attack

Not long ago, you could count on one hand the women who surfed the notorious Banzai Pipeline on the north shore of Oahu in Hawaii.

The break heralded as surfing’s Mecca has been the arena for countless world title showdowns across professional surfing history.

However, despite the World Surf League introducing equal pay in 2018, female surfers did not compete Pipeline until December 2020.

Instead, the women would compete at the Maui Pro in Honolua Bay on the island of Maui, and only a handful of exhibition or invitational events for women were ever held at Pipeline.

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Speaking to Fox Sports Australia, Olympian Sally Fitzgibbons said she did not feel like they “were missing out” surfing at the Maui Pro.

“The same swell would come in from Oahu and we would have uncrowded line-ups and amazing barrels … so that was our sense of scoring Pipeline,” Fitzgibbons said.

But it all changed in December 2020 when a 56-year-old male surfer died after being attacked at Honolua Bay by a tiger shark measuring over 4 metres.

WSL organisers suspended the Maui Pro before resuming the competition at Pipeline.

Fitzgibbons said: “Circumstances just went: ‘there was a shark attack at Honolua during the event and we’re going to Pipeline now.’

“Three days later, I’m paddling out at Pipeline. This wave takes a lifetime to learn and now I’m just walking out here with limited knowledge.

“It sort of feels like a bit of a summation of our careers, there was never a manual.

“We weren’t necessarily ready for it, but I think that’s life.”

It was a historic moment for women’s surfing, and the women’s Championship Tour now competes at Pipeline each year alongside the men’s Tour.

Fitzgibbons added: “Pipeline is here to stay for the women.”

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Fitzgibbons competing at Pipeline in 2022.Source: Supplied

Australian WSL rising star Isabella Nichols said the transition to surfing reef breaks has pushed the limits of what was possible for women’s surfing.

“Up on the Sunshine Coast, where I am from, I am used to waves that are like two-foot maximum and over sand,” Nichols said.

“It’s not all safety and comfort now, it’s not all safety and performance, you’re always going to feel out of your comfort zone and you have to perform.

“At waves like Pipeline, Sunset (Beach) and those crazy, scary waves that have been dominated by men for so many years, it’s hard to get a break.

“It’s hard to get a wave to feel like you’re comfortable in these spots, so that you can perform. But on the flip side, it’s been friggin’ phenomenal. I’ve never pushed myself so hard in my life.”

She added that many of the men’s competitors who have surfed Pipeline for years have helped the women’s surfers adjust to the brutal conditions.

Nichols said: “But it’s really cool because the guys have been really helpful and understanding. They can see that some of the females, like myself, may need a bit of encouragement while you’re out there.”

Fitzgibbons (L) with rising star Isabella Nichols at last year’s Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.Source: Getty Images

This year, Hawaiian five-time World Champion Carissa Moore will paddle out in the competition rash vest for the last time at the Pipeline Pro.

“It seems most fitting to finish at home where it all started,” Moore said in a statement via her Instagram.

After losing last year’s World Title in the WSL Final 5 to Caroline Marks, Carissa Moore says she is in search of a ‘new adventure’.

“Unfortunately, the reality is, the wins are fleeting and the feelings with it only temporary.

“There will probably be speculation that I’m leaving the tour because I lost the last two world titles on Finals Day. Running away could be the farthest thing from my truth.

“It’s been a special time to be a part of the sport and the progress.

“There are more women and girls in the water than ever before and I smile thinking maybe we were a small part of that.”

The Pipeline Pro event is currently underway, live on Fox Sports and Kayo Freebies.