With the sport of surfing tracing its origins back to pre-contact Hawaii, it's fitting that the North Shore of Oahu remains the Mecca of professional surfing to date. The first international surfing contest in Hawaii, the Makaha International Surfing Championship, was held in 1954 at Makaha, on the west side of Oahu. At the time, Makaha and Waikiki were the main surfing hubs on Oahu. The event ran annually in November or December through 1971 and was dubbed the unofficial World Championships.
While Makaha introduced competitive surfing to the world with its Primetime coverage of the event in the early 1960s on ABC's Wide World of Sports, the shortboard revolution was just beginning to take hold and surfers began looking toward the faster, hollower waves on Oahu's North Shore. By 1970, tube riding became the new benchmark of high-performance surfing.
Take a look at some of the people behind this legendary event.
In 1971, with a card table, 10 folding chairs, six surfers and $1,000 in prize money, former world champion surfer Fred Hemmings staged the first Pipe Masters event (originally called the Hawaiian Masters). From this humble beginning, Hemmings saw the potential that the North Shore had to offer the sport of professional surfing and decided to create a series that would test surfers' abilities at Pipeline and two other challenging, world-class waves. In 1983, he organized the first Triple Crown of Surfing and created a separate professional surfing title in Hawaii to set apart the three Hawaii events -- the Pipe Masters, the World Cup of Surfing and the Hawaiian Pro --from the established international professional surfing circuit, to honor the best male surfer in Hawaii's big and powerful surf.
In its 32nd year, the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing continues a rich surfing heritage of progression, high-performance and power surfing. It is a series where careers are made, reputations are forged and mistakes can have dire consequences. The prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing title is a professional surfing milestone, one that rivals that of ASP World Champion.
The journey to the crown kicks off with the Reef Hawaiian Pro November 12-23, 2014. Catch all the action LIVE daily on the ASP homepage and get detailed event info at the Vans Triple Crown website.
Vans Triple Crown's Humble Beginnings
WSL
With the sport of surfing tracing its origins back to pre-contact Hawaii, it's fitting that the North Shore of Oahu remains the Mecca of professional surfing to date. The first international surfing contest in Hawaii, the Makaha International Surfing Championship, was held in 1954 at Makaha, on the west side of Oahu. At the time, Makaha and Waikiki were the main surfing hubs on Oahu. The event ran annually in November or December through 1971 and was dubbed the unofficial World Championships.
While Makaha introduced competitive surfing to the world with its Primetime coverage of the event in the early 1960s on ABC's Wide World of Sports, the shortboard revolution was just beginning to take hold and surfers began looking toward the faster, hollower waves on Oahu's North Shore. By 1970, tube riding became the new benchmark of high-performance surfing.
In 1971, with a card table, 10 folding chairs, six surfers and $1,000 in prize money, former world champion surfer Fred Hemmings staged the first Pipe Masters event (originally called the Hawaiian Masters). From this humble beginning, Hemmings saw the potential that the North Shore had to offer the sport of professional surfing and decided to create a series that would test surfers' abilities at Pipeline and two other challenging, world-class waves. In 1983, he organized the first Triple Crown of Surfing and created a separate professional surfing title in Hawaii to set apart the three Hawaii events -- the Pipe Masters, the World Cup of Surfing and the Hawaiian Pro --from the established international professional surfing circuit, to honor the best male surfer in Hawaii's big and powerful surf.
In its 32nd year, the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing continues a rich surfing heritage of progression, high-performance and power surfing. It is a series where careers are made, reputations are forged and mistakes can have dire consequences. The prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing title is a professional surfing milestone, one that rivals that of ASP World Champion.
The journey to the crown kicks off with the Reef Hawaiian Pro November 12-23, 2014. Catch all the action LIVE daily on the ASP homepage and get detailed event info at the Vans Triple Crown website.
Billabong Pipe Masters
Relive the waves, the sounds, and the drama with the songs from 2014's contests in Hawaii.
Highlights from the World Championship Tour's grande finale coming to US television Saturday, January 3.
Highlights from the WCT's 2014 finale to air on US television Saturday, Jan. 3 at 2 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.
Gabriel Medina has had a meteoric rise since joining the WCT in 2011. His hometown might just be the secret to his success.
The biggest moments from the big show at Pipe -- Wilson a Pipe Master, Medina a World Champ.
News
The 2024/2025 standout Eden Walla made her presence known once again with a solid 6.50 in her score line during tough afternoon conditions.
The recent Challenger Series qualifier Reid Van Wagoner took to Huntington Beach in force with an excellent 8.67 in her debut.
A sensational start for Jett Schilling posted a 16.50 heat total - including an 8.50 and 8.00 - on left rip bowls in Huntington Beach to
This Earth Month, WSL One Ocean celebrates the inspiring local partners around the globe who are driving community-led solutions to protect
The 2025 Challenger Series contender Nolan Rapoza is keeping the blades sharp and blasted an 8.17 in his Vans Jack's Surfboards Pro debut.