The Lexus Pipe Pro is an annual surfing competition that takes place on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii at the Banzai Pipeline. This competition is considered the Super Bowl of surfing because of how competitive and prestigious this event is. It brings surfers from all around the world to come and try to win this event.
The 2024 Pipe Pro is presented by YETI and sponsored by Lexus who took over Florence Marine X and Vissla. This event has been sponsored by Yeti Coolers, who have a three year partnership in place, which began in 2023. Billabong has sponsored the Billabong Pro Pipeline event for over 10 years. Sponsors and hosts change almost each year for this event.
The Pipe Pro was established in 1971 but was originally called the Hawaiian Masters, former World Champion Fred Hemmings threw together the first contest in 1971 with a $1,000 purse from Continental Airlines at one of his favorite surf breaks, Banzai Pipeline, named for an underground pipeline that was being added under Kamehameha Highway back in the ’60s the name stuck. It was a six-person, one-heat event, and the waves were so average that new hot shot, Gerry Lopez, checked the waves in the morning and drove all the way back to Honolulu because he didn’t think the event would run. That year Jeff Hakman took the first place prize.
Currently in the 2024, the Pipe Pro the prize pool is now at over $500,000 for the competitors and the top prize winner receives $80,000 and the pipe masters trophy. The pipe will last over a span of 13 days, from January 29 through February 10, 2024. How the competition works is that surfers are split up into heats where you have qualifying stages then quarter finals, semi finals and a final heat. The surfers that compete are being judged by five judges with a score up to 10 and they pick the two of your best waves and total it out of twenty. The final heat consisted of four surfers for the men and women. Then after finals, all surfers that have competed get a ranking from points they have gotten.
The winners of the Lexus Pipe Pro were: for the men’s final Hawaiian native Barron Mamiya takes the top place and for the women’s final Caitlin Simmers from Oceanside, California takes it all.
