Looking back at the Billabong Pipeline Pro, we’ve established (fully) that Pipeline wasn’t its normal throaty self. It wasn’t spitting on every wave and scaring the bejesus out of competitors. But there were moments. And John John Florence provided my favorite heat of the contest. By far. A near-perfect 19.33 combined score after a pair of gorgeous nines, the first of which, esteemed commentator Kaipo Guerrero lost him in the fold, only for JJF to reappear. Casually.
The video above breaks down those two waves. And there were takeaways: John John looks good, which is good news for desk-bound jockeys that like to watch the webcasts while thumbing away at the computer. That tail-high nose pick reverse was an exclamation point on that fact. Second, John John had the heat of the contest, no doubt. And he just missed picking off eventual Pipe champ Jack Robinson in their quarterfinal matchup. He had the better wave, Jack had the better back up.
That is all – a wrap on our Pipe coverage. On to Sunset.
